The Lotus Leaf Effect
Many years ago I’d seen already the effect of water drops on the leaves of a lotus, very different compared to other plants.
It looks very different from ordinary water drops behavior on plants, especially when moving, almost like mercury!
I remember trying to take photos of it in the past, but the results were pretty bad (*), somehow the drops always ended up overexposed.
But recently I passed a lotus flower field after the rain and took a few shots plus a slo-mo video.
The reason for the ‘odd’ effects of the water lies in the structure of a lotus leaf as its ‘waxy nonpolar coating and a rough structure both make surface interactions less favorable, allowing water to bead up into spheres and easily roll off the leaf’.
Lotus leaves have a layer of wax that is also capable of self-regeneration, apparently even glue cannot stick to it…
Nature is quite something!
(*) No surprise as my first digital camera was incredibly primitive by today's standards: a Dolphin VGA Stick!
