Here are two different aspen leaves I collected over the summer. One is a bit smaller (they are at the same scale) but how similar are they otherwise? What do they look like on the inside? Here are the vein networks for each, shown at the same scale: The smaller leaf seems to have a…

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…