plants (Page 2)

Latest in plants

a venus fly trap closes on a fly.

Venus fly traps’ death-grip trigger discovered

By Laura Baisas

Hand with microgel sunscreen applied next to jar of sunscreen and bowl of camellia seeds used in recipe

Is pollen the secret to eco-friendly sunscreen?

six glowing succulents in shades of blue, yellow, red, green, and a mixture of all

Glow-in-the-dark succulents are here

By Laura Baisas

The XIX copy sculpture of an ancient Roman Emperor - Caligula - Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

Mad emperor Caligula may have been a big plant guy

Fuzzy beetle on red flower

Most bugs can’t see red—but these beetles can

luffa acutangular, Cucurbitaceae green vegetable fresh on brown fabric in garden on nature background

A trip to the farm where loofahs grow on vines

By Alisha McDarris

a pink and yellow flower with delicate petals

Plants can hear tiny wing flaps of pollinators

By Laura Baisas

Sargassum algae piles up along the shore at a beach in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

31 million tons of seaweed ready to stink up Florida’s beaches

By Laura Baisas

Various flowers in a flowerbed in soft sunlight in summertime.

Everything you need to know about chaos gardening

By Debbie Wolfe

Green hedge in the frontyard

How to build a living fence

By Debbie Wolfe

Gold mining operation on banks of river in Amazon rainforest

Trees can snitch on illegal gold miners in the Amazon

three men work on planting a tree

A tree with 40 different fruits planted in Philadelphia

By Laura Baisas

a newly discovered species of plant. it has fuzzy white wool on its green leaves, a yellow center, and two small red flowers

New species of fuzzy sunflower found by national park volunteer

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of two orchids and their root systems. one is growing near decomposing wood and fungi and has more flowers. the other is still growing, but does not have as many flowers

Parasitic orchids ditch photosynthesis for fungi

By Laura Baisas

Visitors seen taking photos of the Corpse Flower's blossom at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. One of the biggest and smelliest flowers in the world blooms at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in Australia on January 23, 2025. It last bloomed in Sydney in 2010.

5 facts about corpse flowers that don’t stink

By Laura Baisas

Fossil pine trees in Montana

Thawing tundra reveals ancient fossilized forest in Montana

A still showing the jet ejected from a squirting cucumber, which carries its seeds distances of up to 32 feet away from the mother plant.

High-speed camera catches cucumber squirting seeds at 65 feet-per-second

By Laura Baisas

Ethiopian wolf licking nectar from Ethiopian red hot poker plant

Endangered Species

These wolves are the first known carnivores to ‘enjoy’ sweets

This fluorescence image shows chloroplasts (magenta colored) successfully incorporated into the hamster cells, with other features of the animal cell also highlighted (nuclei in light blue and organelles in yellow-green).

Bioengineers made mutant, solar-powered hamster cells

Close up of blooming corpse flower

Scientists crack the mystery of why the corpse flower smells like death

yellow pollen shooting out of a red flower

Plants could be manipulating sperm in completely new ways

By Laura Baisas

Monarch butterfly feeding on purple aster flower in summer floral background.

How to plant a garden butterflies will love

By Debbie Wolfe

herbs growing in kitchen

How to start growing herbs in your kitchen

By Debbie Wolfe

stages of a plant's development

Yes, plants go through ‘puberty’

By Laura Baisas

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams with two astronauts aboard ISS

International Space Station

Starliner astronauts are watering plants and fixing urine pumps on ISS

a flower garden with a brick pathway running through the middle

How to figure out your gardening zone

By Debbie Wolfe

Viruses called bacteriophages infect intestinal bacteria by injecting their genetic material and later, new phages burst out of the bacterium. But these phages and bacteria can also live in harmony.

The phageome: A hidden kingdom within your gut

By Amber Dance/Knowable Magazine

Located in the foothills of a rock emerging from a green field

Iron Age plant remains tell new agricultural story in east Africa

By Laura Baisas

a pot of venus fly trap plants on a table

How to care for a Venus fly trap

By Debbie Wolfe

Close up of Syntrichia caninervis moss

This inedible, indestructible moss may help humans thrive on Mars

A Secchi Disk and a measuring tape on a gray wooden floating pier next to a moored boat.

You can help measure the ocean’s health with this homemade gadget

By Alisha McDarris

Red fall foliage on three-leaf sumac in Great Sand Dunes National Park

11 fiery shots of fall foliage around the US

By Popular Science Team

Multiple reddish pink parasitic plants called balanophora growing in a forest. Balanophora shed one third of its genes as it evolved into a very streamlined parasitic plant.

These parasitic plants force their victims to make them dinner

By Laura Baisas

DIY rope plant hangers

The easiest, most basic DIY plant hanger you can make

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Close-up of witch hazel plant

Future leaping robots could take a cue from seed-launching witch hazel plants

Amber tree sap dripping from a branch.

How to keep tree sap from ruining your car’s paint

By Maddi Langweil

full venus flytrap on black background

These meat-eating plants are masters of deception

By Ali Blumenthal, Ellen Airhart

The giant Douglas firs in British Columbia forests are examples of so-called mother trees

Are ‘mother trees’ real?

Pink feathery muhly grass are one the many native types of grass you plant in the US.

9 native grasses that will revitalize your sad, water-wasting lawn

By Helen Bradshaw

A kitchen counter with a tray of drying seed bombs, a bowl with a mixture of powdered clay and potting mix, and two seed packets for rosemary and lavender.

Make your own seed bombs to garden on the go

By Jamie Helmick

Roses blooming in a garden.

Chemists finally unlock the secret to a rose’s iconic aroma

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

Cannabis plant under purple weed grow light

On 420, learn more about weed with these carefully cultivated science stories

By Jamie Helmick

Pincushion cactus with pink flowers on a sunny windowsill

Dying plants are ‘screaming’ at you

plant leaf up close

Tiny, fast lasers are unlocking the mysteries of photosynthesis

By Charlotte Hu

A cedar DIY planter box on the concrete front steps of a gray house with a red door.

Liven up your yard by building this cedar planter box

By Jean Levasseur

A blonde person leaning over to water a potted houseplant near a window.

How to water your plants less but still keep them happy

By Ellen Airhart

a dark furred rabbit with short ears in the brush. the image was taken at night

How a peculiar parasitic plant relies on a rare Japanese rabbit

a small green desert shrub with small yellow buds at the tips

To save water, Arizona farmers are growing guayule for sustainable tires

a fuzzy bumblebee settles on a pink flower

Bees can sense a flower’s electric field—unless fertilizer messes with the buzz

By Lauren J. Young

A single large leaf, with some crinkly, brown edges that may be indicative of a nutrient deficiency.

What your houseplants’ yellowing leaves are dying to tell you

By Helen Bradshaw

Asian honeysuckle

Scientists are disagreeing on the effects of invasive species

By Asher Elbein/Undark

A young man standing among numerous houseplants and looking at his phone in front of a white wall with an acoustic guitar hung on it.

A bit of care can keep your houseplants from sheltering harmful mold

By Ellen Airhart

Iberian lynx licking its lips in captive breeding program

Endangered Species

The curious case of an endangered wildcat and a disappearing fruit tree

Plants_Elephant

How to keep your houseplants from dying this summer

By Ellen Airhart

Try your hand at sustainable gardening with at-home hydroponics

By Bridget Reed Morawski

What these flowers can teach us about adapting to a human-altered world

What these flowers can teach us about adapting to a human-altered world

By Robert I Colautti / The Conversation

hand-watering-plants

Proper drainage is the key to keeping houseplants alive. These tricks can help.

By Ellen Airhart

Two scientists in purple light look at trays of plants.

We now have proof that plants can grow in moon dirt

A swarm of fossilized beetles in yellow burmite amber

A close look at amber fossils that have stuck through the ages

By Jarren Vink, Charlotte Hu

Yellow lawn mower next to lawn with tall grasses and pink and blue native wildflowers

Cities are letting plants go wild for ‘No Mow May’

By Kristine Liao

A person holding a houseplant at the store.

Learn how to spot a healthy houseplant in the store

By Amber Guetebier / Bob Vila

A cracked-open coconut on a light pink background with the white outline of a palm leaf underneath.

The planet needs its peat moss. Use these gardening alternatives instead.

By Ellen Airhart

Wooden lacquer-painted tray by Mexican artist José Manuel de la Cerda depicting a war scene at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Classic Mexican art stood the test of time with the help of this secret ingredient

By Maggie Galloway

clear glass kettle with tea

4 easy-to-forage plants you can harvest to make your own tea

By Alisha McDarris