I think I could spend hours playing with water on lotus leaves. I’m too young to have memories of playing with drops of mercury, but I imagine the effect is similar, right? I went online to see what makes water and a lotus leaf interact in this way, and found that it’s been studied quite a bit. Apparently, a lotus leaf is superhydrophobic. Check out this Wikipedia article on the lotus effect. Fascinating, if a little dry. This article explains it a little more clearly, for us non-scientists. Want to experiment with the lotus effect, but don’t have any lotus plants nearby? Try your nasturtiums!

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