Are you wondering where all my leaf images are coming from, or how to see leaf venation networks yourself? I’ve just put together a resource on the subject, which provides instructions for making skeletons, a full image gallery, lesson plans, and scientific resources. Check it out!

What’s that? A very close view of the network of an aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaf. The entire image is 1.3 mm x 1.0 mm. The little circular structures between the veins are individual cell walls! This network looks very different than the one I showed you last time. It branches and reconnects with itself in…

It’s almost Halloween, so I thought I’d show you a skeleton I found in the forest recently: Leaf skeletons are rare things to find in such a well-preserved condition. Sometimes I see them in cold streams where microbes or invertebrates have slowly eaten them away. This one is from the floor of the Biosphere 2…

What are economics to a plant? I told you last time that plant leaves need to be profitable – they should gain more carbon over their life span then they cost to build. If this wasn’t true there would be no plants, because plants are mostly carbon! But is this economic situation the same in…