What are transpiration in plants?

Transpiration is when plants slowly let out water from their leaves, kind of like how we sweat on a hot day.

Imagine you're wearing a shirt that’s made of tiny straws, each straw lets some water through. That's what happens in the leaves of a plant: they have tiny holes called stomata, which are like those little straws. When the air is dry or warm, the plant opens these little holes and lets out water vapor.

Plants take up water from the soil through their roots, and that water travels all the way up to the leaves. Once in the leaves, some of that water turns into vapor and goes out through the stomata. This process is called transpiration, like a plant’s version of breathing out.

Transpiration helps plants cool down, just like sweating cools us off. It also helps bring up more water from the soil, which means the plant can keep doing its job: growing tall and green! So next time you see a leafy tree on a sunny day, imagine it’s gently letting out water, just like you're letting out sweat when you’re playing outside.