Dew – passive irrigation without rain?

Can plants get a significant amount of natural, passive irrigation even without rain?

We’ve had a dry spell in western/central ny but the soil under mulch is still very moist. It’s not just water retention in the soil – Every morning the plants are all wet from dew, and it seeps into the ground.

I haven’t seen any discussion from permaculture sources about the role of dew from temperature shifts in watering plants. Is this an important but underappreciated resource, or am I missing something obvious here?

I’m pretty new to all of this so any information would be really helpful. Thanks.