When you find yourself out in the woods and thirsty, there may not be water found readily at hand. If you were fortunate enough to find a clean body of water, you could lay on the ground and drink straight from the source, or, you could use your hand as a cup. But if there is no body of water, you might be able to collect water droplets from foliage by using a cloth or cup.

A cup can be fashioned from a broad leaf such as found on a deciduous tree. After a rain or from early morning dew, you can find droplets of water on leaves that can be tilted onto your mouth for drinking. But having a cup handy will prove easier for collecting and drinking these water droplets. The same may be said for drawing water out of a low place. Basically, a leaf can be pinched on one side and then folded off to the back side. This single fold creates a cone shaped reservoir that holds the water. A big enough leaf might enable additional folds to create an even lipped rim or even a handle.

Next time that you’re out and about, stop by a tree, pluck a leaf, and give it a try. But one word of caution… remember… when selecting the foliage, “leaves of three – let it be”. Make sure to use a non-toxic leaf.