I'm Glad You Asked

The Swiss Cheese Plant

How do the holes form in the leaves of plants?

Bark that Defies Fire

How oaks evolved to survive fire—and how Indigenous fire stewardship may have shaped them

Blue: Nature’s Rarest Flower Color

Chasing the elusive blue flower

Oddities in Plant Growth

Unusual growth patterns of the indigo plant in the Herb Garden

An Ethnobotanical Gem

An ethnobotanical gem growing in the Virginia Haldan Tropical House, provides the dye used in many products
A forest of burned trees

Fire and Plants

From thick bark to dormant buds, plants have evolved many strategies to avoid damage due to fire.
A large cactus with two stems growing in circles

Fasciation

What causes the abnormal, bizarre growth patterns that sometimes occur in plants?
Close-up of two fingers holding a cut branch leaking a clear liquid

Root Pressure and Sap Flow

What is the best time of year to prune?
Many bright pink flowers with layers of fluffy petals surrounded by pointy green leaves

Blue Roses?

Will there ever be a true blue rose?

Aristolochia Pollination

Luring pollinators with smell
Sunshine on yellow and orange flowers against a blue sky

Pollinator training strategies

Colorful ways that plants entice pollinators to stick around
Clusters of blue-purple flowers

Nectar: A Renewable Resource

Nectar, a floral reward for bees and birds