Science Project presented by

Jessica Roy
What happens
when you
submerge a
dandelion in water?
Hypothesis
My hypothesis is the dandelion is going to fall
apart in the water. Dandelions are so fun to blow
and see the seeds spread across the ground,
every time we see one, we pick it up, make a
wish, blow the seeds, and watch the beauty as
they fly in the sky. I asked my kids, and they had
the same hypothesis.
 Materials

DANDELION

CUP OF
WATER
 • Take the dandelion and dip it in
the water to see what
happens.

Procedure
 The dandelion comes out of the
water looking completely dry. The
pappus (feather-like structure) is
omniphilic, which means it repels in
both oil and water. When the tiny
hairs of the pappus are submerged
in water they close-up trapping a
water droplet inside. This feature
may help dandelions survive in wet
conditions.
 Conclusion

• I thought the dandelion was going to fall apart once

submerged in the water, it seems so fragile. The dandelion
came out completely dry. I learned that the dandelion is in
every continent in the world except Antarctica, and you can
eat a dandelion. This was extremely entertaining for my
children, and they wanted to further the experiment and try
cold water, hot water, then of course they had to try to blow
the seeds off. I would like to know what other flowers may
have this same reaction because it was cool to see how the
dandelion comes out flawless.