Raven holds a leaf up to the sun on the park path. Light glows through it.
"Look at the lines," she says. "They branch like a river map."
Rocket squints through his orange glasses. "Those are the tubes from the celery!"
Nova zooms in with a cyan hologram of the leaf. Hundreds of tiny dots appear.
"Those dots are holes," she says. "Air goes in there. Can you guess what comes out?"
A leaf is thin and flat. That shape catches as much light as possible.
Many leaves turn to face the sun during the day.
The lines in a leaf are called veins. Veins are tubes.
They bring water to every part of the leaf. They carry sugar away to the rest of the plant.
The green color comes from a substance called chlorophyll. It catches the energy in light.
The underside of a leaf has tiny holes. Carbon dioxide goes in. Oxygen and water vapor come out.
A leaf is a tiny factory. Light, water and carbon dioxide go in. Sugar comes out.
| Leaf feature | What it is for |
|---|---|
| thin, flat shape | catches lots of light |
| veins | carry water in and sugar out |
| green chlorophyll | catches the energy in light |
| tiny holes | let air in and out |
Every plant in this list does the same work. Each leaf is a factory running on light, air and water.
This field guide shows the ten plants people record most near you.
These are the plants people record most in your region.
The months column shows when people notice each one most.
| # | Name | Science name | Seen most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Plane Tree | Platanus hispanica | Jul to Nov |
| 2 | Norway Maple | Acer platanoides | Jun to Oct |
| 3 | Callery Pear | Pyrus calleryana | Jul to Oct, Dec |
| 4 | Pin Oak | Quercus palustris | Jun to Nov |
| 5 | American Pokeweed | Phytolacca americana | Jun to Sep |
| 6 | Red Maple | Acer rubrum | Apr to Oct |
| 7 | Poison Ivy | Toxicodendron radicans | Apr to Jun |
| 8 | Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Jun to Aug |
| 9 | Garlic Mustard | Alliaria petiolata | Apr to May |
| 10 | Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Apr to Jul |
Whole United States. Names and months come from records people shared on GBIF.org. Your yard may have different neighbors.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Leaf veins carry water and sugar. | ? |
| Chlorophyll makes leaves green. | ? |
| Leaves take in sugar from the air. | ? |
| Many leaves turn to face the sun. | ? |
Factory tour complete! Tomorrow you make the argument like a real scientist.