Immediately, you’re probably thinking, “The Human Plants? This guy isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer!” Okay I’ll give it to you that plants aren’t literally humans, but they are some very smart creatures. Yes, today’s blog is trying to further develop your “inner geek.” Let’s take another look into the secret life of plants!
As humans, we have an extremely developed brain that coordinates sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. But “why come” (as we used to say as kids in my old neighborhood) plants that need light to survive can actually grow and literally lean towards the sun (phototropism)? How does it’s root system grow towards the ground by way of the Earth’s gravitational pull? It “knows” that’s where the water is located (geotropism)? How Sway? (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=How%20Sway%3F) Or what about how viney plants like grapevines (see photo), grow these freaky tentacles that wrap around a nearby object in a perpetual “loop de-loop” to brace itself so it can continue to grow and lift itself up to the next level? And as time moves on, these rubbery tentacles become hardened wood turning into a permanent fixture. Again I ask, how Sway?
Consider the upper side of a leaf that contains the stomata. This opening facilitates gas exchange. You thought your human lungs were impressive huh? Don’t even get me started on the xylem. This complex system is a conduit for water and nutrients from the roots. I can see you getting geeked out from in front of my keyboard as I type! How about when your human body gets tired in the evening? You lay down at night and sleep for hours and wake up on your own. That IS pretty impressive. But consider how plants detect shortened periods of light and overall colder temperatures and say, “You know, I’m gonna drop all of these leaves and chill (literally) for a few months. I’m going to wait until this light last a little longer and the temps warm up. Then, I’ll come back to life; grow more leaves, put out some flowers, and if I’m a fruit tree, spit out some tasty fruit.” Again, I’m not saying plants are humans, but you have to admit, this is some fascinating stuff!
Finally…the one that gets me every time. The seed. They sit and do nothing until the conditions are just right. I have seeds that have sat on a shelf for YEARS and did nothing. NOTHING. But as soon as they are placed in soil and throw some water into the mix, they start growing. Hey, even humans need a sperm and an egg to get things going! What rests within that seed that it can “sit” there but then be “activated” into a living and breathing (remember the xylem?) being? How Sway? I’ll tell you how…it’s the secret life of plants.
