In Genesis, what did Noah see on the dove's second return from the Ark?

In Genesis, Noah saw an olive leaf on the dove's second return from the Ark. Genesis 8:11 says the dove came back in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak.

The leaf showed Noah that the floodwaters had receded enough for vegetation to appear above the water. The detail is part of a sequence of tests: Noah first released a raven, then sent a dove, which returned without finding a resting place. After waiting, he sent the dove again and received the olive leaf.

The olive branch later became a widely recognized symbol of peace, although that broader symbolic association developed beyond this single episode. Genesis itself uses the leaf as evidence about the state of the earth after the flood.

A common mistake is to say the dove carried an olive branch. The text specifically describes a freshly plucked olive leaf.