So Many Leaves

There are many different kinds of leaves.

Some are tiny, others are huge.

Giant elephant-ear colocasia leaves grow as long as six feet. That’s longer than most people are tall!

Banana leaves are so big, they can be used as plates.

Jamun leaves are small, the size of a child’s palm.

Tamarind leaves are tiny, too small to cover a fingernail.

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some are round, others are feathery.

Cashew leaves are oval. Bamboo leaves are long and thin. Water lily leaves are almost round.

Papaya leaves look like stars, Peepal leaves look like human hearts. Silk cotton leaves look like hands.

Coconut leaves look like feathery paper fans. Ferns look like feathers of a bird. Camel-foot tree leaves look like the hoof of a camel. And the fish-tailed palm leaves look like the tail of a fish!

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some are smooth, others are spiky.

Mango leaves are smooth. Banyan leaves are leathery. Mint leaves are hairy.

Palash leaves change over time. Young leaves are silky and hairy, then they become glossy. They turn dull and wrinkly when old.

Prickly pear leaves are thorny. They poke, so be careful. But this also stops animals from eating them.

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some are green, others are silver.

Silver oak leaves shimmer silvery white. Croton leaves are red and yellow and orange and green. Mango leaves are red when they are new.

Mahua leaves turn yellow when they grow old.

Some leaves have white, brown or black patches. Watch out! They might be diseased and need help.

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some are harmless, others are poisonous.

Oleander leaves are poisonous. Don’t try to eat them!

Eucalyptus leaves smell pleasant when crushed.

Stevia leaves taste sweet.

Neem leaves taste bitter. This is so that birds and insects don’t eat them.

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some seem to stay still, others move fast.

Touch-me-not leaves close fast when we touch them.

Venus flytrap leaves snap shut to trap insects.

Rain tree leaves close on cloudy days.

Tamarind leaves close at night.

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some are nests, others are food.

Ants and spiders stitch amaltas leaves together to make nests,

Squirrels use grass leaves to make nests,

Goats and cows pluck and eat jackfruit leaves,

And caterpillars nibble at pongamia leaves.

There are many different kinds of leaves. Some add taste, others become toys.

Spinach leaves are healthy to eat. Curry leaves add flavour to our food. Tulsi leaves are used as medicine. Coconut leaves are used to make toys. Palm leaves are used to make mats. And thatch for houses too!

There are many different kinds of leaves. All of them are fun to explore.

- Draw and colour them. - What is the biggest leaf, and the smallest one you can find? Measure them. - How many different shapes can you spot? - Place leaves in a bowl of water—do they float, or sink? Leave them out in the sun, and see how long they take to change colour. - Press them between the folds of a newspaper to preserve them. - If you find a thick leaf like the peepal, soak it in water for a few weeks, changing the water every two days, till you get a beautiful network of veins which you can paint on.