As summer approaches, the once dormant bushes and trees start to grow their leaves again. Leaves are important because they are the plant’s main source of nutrition! A leaf can turn sunlight into glucose through a process called photosynthesis, which is used by the plant for energy.
Function of Leaves
In a plant cell, there is a structure (called the chloroplast) that contains chlorophyll, a pigment that makes the leaves green. When the leaves absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide, chlorophyll converts it into energy to be used by the plant, a process called photosynthesis.
In a plant cell, there is a structure (called the chloroplast) that contains chlorophyll, a pigment that makes the leaves green. When the leaves absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide, chlorophyll converts it into energy to be used by the plant, a process called photosynthesis.
A waste product of photosynthesis is oxygen, which we need to live! While talking to plants won’t make them grow faster, this old wives tale is based on the fact that we exhale carbon dioxide, which is the compound plants need in order to thrive.
Aside from helping plants, leaves also help humans by keeping you cool on hot days by making shade. The leaves fill in the spaces between the branches to make a canopy--sort of like an umbrella--over the tree. Leaves also help make trees good homes for animals, like birds, squirrels, and bugs, by providing them shelter, a place to hide, and even food! The shape of a leaf will also allow you to identify the plant to see if it’s safe to eat or not.
Anatomy and Shapes of Leaves
The body of a leaf consists of a flattened portion, called the blade, that is attached to the plant by a structure called the petiole.
Aside from helping plants, leaves also help humans by keeping you cool on hot days by making shade. The leaves fill in the spaces between the branches to make a canopy--sort of like an umbrella--over the tree. Leaves also help make trees good homes for animals, like birds, squirrels, and bugs, by providing them shelter, a place to hide, and even food! The shape of a leaf will also allow you to identify the plant to see if it’s safe to eat or not.
Anatomy and Shapes of Leaves
The body of a leaf consists of a flattened portion, called the blade, that is attached to the plant by a structure called the petiole.
Some leaves don’t have a petiole as the blade expands itself directly from the stem of the plant. These are called sessile leaves, shown in the picture below.
Sometimes leaves are divided into two or more sections called leaflets. Leaves with a single undivided blade are called simple, those with two or more leaflets are called compound.
Here is an image that will help you identify leaves based on their morphology:
Pressing and Framing Leaves
If you’ve found and collected some interesting leaves, you may want to preserve them or put them on display. In this activity, you’ll learn how to press leaves with wax paper so you can keep them for a long time!
You’ll need:
-Leaves
-Wax paper
-A thin towel or paper
-An iron and and ironing board
Step One: place a leaf between two pieces of wax paper, and put a towel/piece of thick paper over the wax.
Step Two: press on the towel or paper with a warm iron to seal the wax sheets together. Take care not to burn yourself and get an adult’s help if needed. This takes about 2-5 minutes on each side, depending on how moist the leaf is. Once you have finished one side, flip the leaf over and do the other side.
Step Three: cut around the leaf, leaving a small margin of wax paper to ensure that it will stay sealed. If you don’t want to cut out the leaves, you can try to peel the wax paper off the leaves, leaving a coat of wax behind to protect the leaves. Try this on one leaf first to see if this method works for you.
If you want to frame the leaves, you can place a few dots of glue on the underside of your pressed leaf and secure it to a piece of paper that will fit inside a frame of your choice. Let the glue dry for about 20 minutes before you put the frame together. Now you can keep many interesting leaves for a long time, and even display them on a wall!
Examples of some common leaves you may find:
If you’ve found and collected some interesting leaves, you may want to preserve them or put them on display. In this activity, you’ll learn how to press leaves with wax paper so you can keep them for a long time!
You’ll need:
-Leaves
-Wax paper
-A thin towel or paper
-An iron and and ironing board
Step One: place a leaf between two pieces of wax paper, and put a towel/piece of thick paper over the wax.
Step Two: press on the towel or paper with a warm iron to seal the wax sheets together. Take care not to burn yourself and get an adult’s help if needed. This takes about 2-5 minutes on each side, depending on how moist the leaf is. Once you have finished one side, flip the leaf over and do the other side.
Step Three: cut around the leaf, leaving a small margin of wax paper to ensure that it will stay sealed. If you don’t want to cut out the leaves, you can try to peel the wax paper off the leaves, leaving a coat of wax behind to protect the leaves. Try this on one leaf first to see if this method works for you.
If you want to frame the leaves, you can place a few dots of glue on the underside of your pressed leaf and secure it to a piece of paper that will fit inside a frame of your choice. Let the glue dry for about 20 minutes before you put the frame together. Now you can keep many interesting leaves for a long time, and even display them on a wall!
Examples of some common leaves you may find:
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Image Credits:
Stachowiak, Kai. “Leaves”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/20/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Nyren, Erin (2013). “Photosynthesis”. Property of Discovery Express Kids, LLC.
Nyren, Erin (2017). “Blade and Petiole”. Property of Discovery Express Kids, LLC.
Superior National Forest. “Trillium Cernuum”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/20/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Nyren, Erin (2017). “Simple vs. Compound Leaves”. Property of Discovery Express Kids, LLC.
“Leaf Morphology”. Released into the public domain under the GNU Free Documentation License. Uploaded on 5/21/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Kratochvil, Petr. “Red Oak Leaf”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/21/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Kaufman, Sidney (2017). "Bush Leaves".
Hodan, George. "Summer Leaf". Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/26/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Kratochvil, Petr. "Autumn Leaf". Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/26/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Stachowiak, Kai. “Leaves”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/20/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Nyren, Erin (2013). “Photosynthesis”. Property of Discovery Express Kids, LLC.
Nyren, Erin (2017). “Blade and Petiole”. Property of Discovery Express Kids, LLC.
Superior National Forest. “Trillium Cernuum”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/20/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Nyren, Erin (2017). “Simple vs. Compound Leaves”. Property of Discovery Express Kids, LLC.
“Leaf Morphology”. Released into the public domain under the GNU Free Documentation License. Uploaded on 5/21/17 from commons.wikimedia.org
Kratochvil, Petr. “Red Oak Leaf”. Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/21/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Kaufman, Sidney (2017). "Bush Leaves".
Hodan, George. "Summer Leaf". Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/26/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
Kratochvil, Petr. "Autumn Leaf". Released into the public domain. Uploaded on 5/26/17 from publicdomainpictures.net
