We often think of plants as passive and stationary, but the truth is that some plants move faster than we can even see. In this “True Facts” video, Ze Frank Keep reading
Tag: plants
How Ferns Spread Themselves
Ferns don’t rely on pollen and pollinators to spread. Instead, they use a little water and a lot of ingenuity, as shown in this video from Deep Look. Peer underneath Keep reading
Mimicking Plant Movement
Many plants control the curvature of their leaves by selectively pumping water into cells that line the outer surface. This swelling triggers bending. Engineers created their own version of this Keep reading
Spreading the Word
Just as prairie dogs bark to warn the colony of danger, many plants can signal their neighbors when they’re under attack. This thale cress releases calcium when caterpillars eat it; Keep reading
Dandelion Seeds
Each seed on the head of a dandelion has a preferred wind direction, according to new research. Seeds facing the breeze are most likely to release from the head, with Keep reading
“Reconfiguring It Out”
Leaves flutter and bend in the breeze, changing their shape in response to the flow. Here, researchers investigate this behavior using flexible disks pulled through water. The more flexible the Keep reading
Rain-Driven Prey Capture
Pitcher plants often entice their insect victims with sweet nectar before trapping them in inescapable viscoelastic goo. But some species go even further. Nepenthes gracilis, a species native to Southeast Keep reading
“The Green Reapers”
This short film from artist Thomas Blanchard focuses on carnivorous plants and their prey. These plants — including Venus fly traps, sundews, and pitcher plants — rely on fluids both Keep reading
Marshland Wave Damping
Coastal marshes are a critical natural defense against flooding. The flexible plants of the marsh both slow the water’s current and help damp waves. As a result of that hydrodynamic Keep reading
Why Watering Globes Are Hard to Fill
If you’re leaving home for a few days and want to keep your houseplants happy, you may have tried using a watering globe – those glass bulbs with long stems Keep reading