I conducted this project as part of Professor Pringle’s EEB321 class at Princeton University.

In this vast world around, there is so much that catches the eye. Nature can be immense, imposing, awe-inspiring. It can also be simple, commonplace, and comforting. It is the latter perception of nature that stands out to me today, on a brisk fall afternoon at Princeton University.

The last of the leaves are changing color, and the Norway Maple leaves are a last flash of yellow before winter sets in. I decided that I'd investigate this glow, seeing what I could learn by looking at these leaves. In the spirit of explorative ecology, I decided I'd learn something new by looking at this leaf.

The first part of the leaf I looked at in my Foldscope Microscope was the edge. It occurred to me, the shape of these cells is odd! I realized that since I was looking at the edge of the leaf, I was seeing cells that were compressed in structure.


To make sure that this was really what I was seeing, I decided to compare it to the inner part of the leaf (away from the edge). Sure enough: the cells are different!!!



Here, the cells are rounder, fuller, and don't appear flattened against the dividing lines between the cells.

What I conclude from this is the part of the leaf influences cell structure, with the edges compressing the cell. It would be fascinating to learn more about this, seeing how widespread this is (in other species of leaf) and what this means for cell functioning, if anything. At the very least, it tells us about leaf-construction form the cell level!

I now know something more about the tiny things in the world around us. The beautiful leaves of the Norway Maple are complicated, exciting, and thought-provoking in a new way, now that I've seen it from a completely different perspective.