Nature field note
Nature's own raincoat
The Leaf That Stays Clean
A lotus leaf can sit in muddy pond water for months and never look dirty, because water and mud simply can't stick to it.
Let's look closer
Wonder traits
- Habitat
- Wetland
Let's look closer
How does a leaf manage to stay spotless in the mud?
he surface of a lotus leaf is covered in millions of tiny waxy bumps, far too small to see with your eyes. Water can't spread flat across all those bumps, so raindrops squeeze into round beads instead of soaking in. As each bead rolls off the leaf, it picks up specks of dirt and carries them away, leaving the leaf clean again.
Look for this
Explorer clue
After it rains, look for beads of water sitting on top of a waxy leaf in a garden or park, instead of soaking into it.
Your turn to wonder
Curiosity question
What is something about you that stays the same, even when things around you get messy?
Keep wandering
