Interception

Interception happens when vegetation obstructs precipitation from reaching the soil below. Figure 1 shows leaves which have collected, or intercepted, water droplets. Figure 2 shows several types of interception, including canopy interception (when water is caught at the top of a forest canopy) and interception at the roots of a tree (timelapse of my thirsty houseplants coming soon). This helpful Wikipedia page on Interception includes a cool animation of interception in action.