To a tiny insect, a pond’s still surface can present a daunting waterscape. To move from water to land, a water-walking creature may have to scale a steep, slippery slope—the curved edge where water meets leaf, rock, or floating object.
The curvature of a liquid’s surface at a boundary is a consequence of the liquid’s surface tension. The sloped surface marking the border between wet and dry is called the meniscus.