Water World: A Filigree on Leaf and Vine

I sometimes come upon them in the morning: plants, covered in raindrops or dew, the droplets themselves shining like jewels in the morning sun. I don't have any idea how or why the droplets hang there the way they do. The plant is fuzzy; why do they even stick?

You'd think that gravity might pull them down. But no. In defiance of gravity, the droplets cling. They are evenly distributed along the seams of the plant, at regular intervals, each droplet a water world unto itself. You might almost think that someone placed them there, one by one. (Someone with very tiny hands, I think to myself.)

Some lyrics came to mind as I studied the droplets and their patterns and photographed them from every angle. It was a line or two from Joni Mitchell's classic tune, Ladies of the Canyon:

"Sewing lace on widows' weeds
And filigree on leaf and vine."

So the link I'm providing is to the full album of the same name from 1970: Joni Mitchell, Ladies of the Canyon. I recommend listening to the whole thing. If you don't have time for that, beneath the video is a song listing with links to individual tracks, including the title track containing these lyrics. Enjoy!