Plants don’t just grow straight up. They can move in loopy and zigzagging ways to get more sunshine. And studying these movements goes all the way back to Darwin in the 19th century.
Articles on Sunflowers
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Grain and fertilizer shortages, higher shipping costs and a strong dollar are all pushing food prices up and increasing hunger in dozens of vulnerable countries.
Huge single-crop fields attract bees in such numbers that they spread parasites to one another. Planting diverse mixes of flowers around fields helps spread out pollinators and keep them healthy.
Sunflowers have hidden patterns of ultraviolet colours — visible to pollinators, these colours are due to the presence of pigments that also help plants retain moisture.
The phenomenon is called heliotropism, and sunflowers are most famous for it. But why do they track the sun? And how?
Top contributors
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Extension Agent, University of Florida
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Professor Emeritus of Food Security, Tufts University
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Senior Research Associate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Research associate, Biodiversity, University of British Columbia
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Postdoctoral Associate at the BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder