THE LEAFLET

Hopefully you’ve heard by now that in one week, on Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun! If you’re lucky enough to be within the path of totality you’ll be treated to nature’s most awe-inspiring sights – a total solar eclipse. No fear – anyone outside this path (a.k.a. The District) will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun’s disk.

As if the first solar eclipse to be visible in the U.S. states in 39 years wasn’t cool enough, there is a neat trick that tree leaves, wicker baskets, and even hands can do! They serve as safe solar projectors thanks to the curious wave behavior of light. The tiny gaps between leaves act as pinhole lenses, projecting crescent shaped images of the eclipsed sun onto the world below.

While you’re marveling at the eclipse next week, be sure to look around you to see if you can catch any tree leaf caused pinholes. Jealous you don’t even have a tree in your yard to act as pinhole lenses? We’ve got you covered with our residential planting programs, where you can plant a tree for little to no cost to you.