What are dry leaves?

Dry leaves are leaves that have lost their water and feel stiff instead of soft.

Imagine you're holding a leaf from your favorite tree, it’s wet and shiny, like a piece of paper you just took out of the fridge. Now picture that same leaf after a long time in the sun, it's all crinkly and brittle, like the wrapper from a chocolate bar you left on the windowsill.

Leaves get dry when they don’t have enough water anymore. Plants usually get their water from the soil through their roots. If there’s not much rain or if the ground is too hot, the plant can't send as much water up to its leaves, and then the leaves start to lose their moisture.

Dry leaves are like old clothes that don’t fit anymore. They might fall off the tree because they’re no longer strong enough to stay attached. But even when they're on the ground, they still have a job, they help make the soil richer and give food to other plants later on!