Book 23, Question 41
How Do Dandelion Seeds Sail on a Breath of Wind?
A dandelion seed sails away on a puff of wind. It looks like a tiny parachute. Dandelion seeds can travel more than a mile on the wind.
More fun facts
- A dandelion seed flies with a parachute made of fine bristles.
- That parachute is mostly empty space.
- As air moves through the bristles, a ring shaped bubble of air forms above the seed.
- Scientists named it a separated vortex ring, and nobody had seen this kind of flight in nature before.
- The bubble adds drag, which slows the seed's fall so the wind can carry it.
- Seeds often travel a kilometer or more.
Sources: biology.ed.ac.uk
Questions kids ask
How good is the dandelion's parachute?
Researchers found it's four times more efficient than a regular parachute design.