[Lightning Hunter]

I witnessed something yesterday morning on the way to work that I honestly can't remember seeing before, which is saying something since I've been actively observing the weather for 20+ years now.

It was a mild, humid morning yesterday with some low cloud and weak sunshine around. Near work at about 0700 BST I turned into the lane to suddenly find a large puddle of water at the junction (all roads had been dry up to that point). Then, when I drove under the small oak tree on the corner a cascade of water drops, similar in size to a heavy shower, covered the car, requiring windscreen wipers!

As I looked down the lane, under every tree was a small 'flood' of water, not just a damp patch, but large puddles resembling springs or a water leak, and a heavy shower of 'tree rain' under eahc one.

It only occurred on one lane, about 0.5 miles from Southampton Water/Solent, so I assume that wind-blown fog had condensed out on the fully-in-leaf trees, but it was quite surreal.

[Dave K]

Maybe you know about the Canary Island Pines which grow on the dry but fog prone areas. They have extra long needles precisely to capture and increase the amount of water condensated out which falls to the ground compared to normal conifers and which makes up almost all the groundwater available to the tree.

http://en.wikipedia....nus_canariensis

[Lightning Hunter]

Yes, I've been there and seen them I think the grape vines there obtain some water by condensation too.

I've seen documentaries featuring plants and animals utilising moisture from the Pacific fogs in the Atacama desert in Chile too.

[lakes]

oak trees tend to do this, take a walk in the woods one morning its a strange feeling, the sun is up blue sky yet rain from the trees.
its to do with the curl of the leaf captures moisture.

thers a photographer (cant think of his name) has taken some great shots of this and one was used for a ladies moisturizer advert a few years ago.