Articles for category: Ecology, Plants

The Global Perspective: Singapore's Role

How a City-State Became One of the Best Places in the World to Be a Plant

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine a place where skyscrapers gleam, bustling streets wind through futuristic neighborhoods—and yet, plants thrive like nowhere else on Earth. At first glance, a hyper-modern city-state may seem an unlikely paradise for flora. Yet, in the heart of Asia, Singapore has defied the odds to become a botanical wonderland, blending urban innovation with lush, living ...

Rainforest Survivors: Singapore’s Towering Giants

If Trees Made Noise: Would Forest Destruction Still Feel Distant?

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine walking through a forest, sunlight streaming between ancient trunks, and instead of silence or birdsong, you hear the forest itself—trees groaning, whispering, or even screaming. Imagine the sound of a chainsaw not only splitting wood but unleashing a cacophony of cries from every branch severed. Would this change how we feel about the destruction ...

Zombie Plants: Can Viruses Hijack Plant Behavior?

Zombie Plants: Can Viruses Hijack Plant Behavior?

Annette Uy

Imagine walking through a garden and discovering, hidden among the leaves, a silent drama where viruses manipulate their leafy hosts like expert puppeteers. It sounds like a scene from a science fiction movie, but it’s happening right now, all around us. In the natural world, some viruses have developed astonishing ways to control plants, turning ...

Dodder in an olive tree.

Dodder: The Parasitic Plant That Sniffs Out Its Victims

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine a plant that hunts without eyes, ensnares without roots, and survives by siphoning the life from unsuspecting hosts. This is not the plot of a science fiction thriller—it’s the daily life of dodder, a truly bizarre and awe-inspiring member of the plant kingdom. For centuries, dodder has captivated botanists and baffled gardeners with its ...

Pepinillo del diablo [Exploding Cucumber] (Ecballium elaterium).

The Plant That Shoots Its Seeds Like Bullets (Exploding Cucumber)

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine strolling through a peaceful garden, only to be surprised by a sudden pop—the sound of a plant launching its seeds with the force and speed of a tiny cannon. This isn’t the stuff of science fiction, but a real phenomenon in nature, starring the incredible “exploding cucumber.” Known for its jaw-dropping method of seed ...

The Sundew's Deadly Dew: How This Sticky Plant Traps and Digests Insects

The Sundew’s Deadly Dew: How This Sticky Plant Traps and Digests Insects

Annette Uy

Imagine walking through a quiet, sun-dappled bog and stumbling upon a plant that glistens as if dusted with morning dew. But what if that sparkling dew was, in fact, a deadly trap? The sundew, with its jewel-like droplets, is not just beautiful—it’s a silent predator. This unassuming plant has evolved a shocking strategy to survive ...

The Plant That Mimics Rocks to Avoid Being Eaten (Lithops)

The Plant That Mimics Rocks to Avoid Being Eaten (Lithops)

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine walking through a parched desert, your eyes scanning a landscape littered with pebbles and stones. Suddenly, you realize that some of those rocks are alive. This isn’t a trick of the mind or a scene from a science fiction novel—it’s the fascinating reality of Lithops, the extraordinary plant that has mastered the art of ...