Mary, this is an excellent question and one you shouldn't be embarrassed by :-) The terms 'green' and 'brown' to describe either carbon or nitrogen sources really do describe their coloration as well.

Greens - the N source - really are "green"....or very close to it. They are fresh plant parts - grass clippings, debris from the veg garden, plant trimmings, weeds (without seeds), seaweed, fresh leaves, kitchen waste, etc. The non-green greens also include coffee grounds and eggshells (as considered kitchen waste). And fresh animal manures.

Browns - the C source - are more "brown" than not: fall leaves, twigs, stems, chipped brush, other wood products, straw or hay, cardboard and other paper products, sawdust, pine straw, etc. IOW, dry or dead material.

And yes, some materials can be both, depending on the stage they are in their life cycle. Green, fresh leaves, like might be generated by pruning, are a N source - dried, fallen leaves (dead) gathered up in fall become a prime source of C.

It is a little bit more complicated than this - what determines whether a material is really a green or a brown is its ratio of carbon to nitrogen. But in general, most greens are green and fresh and most browns are brown and dried/dead. From th Organic Gardening Forum FAQ:the difference between greens and browns.

basically, a green becomes a brown by losing nitrogen to the atmoshpere. e.g. corn stalks. hence the recommendation by many to bury waste as soon as feasible for optimal composting. then some is lost to the surrounding soil, which is not a loss at all.

OK, so everyone who has let their California lawns go brown, but need to do ONE more mowing is getting browns, right? What if they are still "kinda" growing, and are greenish-brown? LOL Nancy

then they are greenish browns.

Or put differently all compostables have both carbon and nitrogen, just in different ratios. 'Greens' more nitrogen, Browns more carbon. Within each group the ratios also vary, so it's a guideline is all. Grass is a very good example; it varies depending on eg season (in spring is very wet and heavy on nitrogen), and as it dries out becomes 'browner', and am sure there are other factors too. Tables with estimates of the ratios are out there to be googled at will.

Animal manures, brown in color, are greens, so the color of something may not be a good indication of whether it is something of high Nitrogen or high Carbon. Dried, or cured, Alfalfa hay, often a brownish hue, is a high Nitrogen source therefore a green. Dried grass clippings also could be greens depending on how they were dried, or cured.

So whether plant material that is cut green loses N as it dries or not depends on how it is dri8ed or cured.

kimmq is kimmsr

Your question focuses on plants and that's a good reason why many people only think they can compost greens and browns that were once some kind of plant material (other than knowing they can also compost manure).

Browns also include common household items such as paper towels, newspaper, dryer lint, cardboard boxes or containers, to name a few.

Because of the nature of plants and leaves, there is also another option I use sometimes. When I cut down branches or twigs that don't take up too much space, I might leave them around for a few weeks or months. As the leaves die off and drop to the ground, I use those leaves. If it's a twig that I can easily de-leaf, I might also do that when I need it.

That might be more work than is needed but it's that part of me that has learned to realize how much stuff we can compost, that makes me want to use as much of any usable material that I can get my hands on.