Understanding Beech Leaf Disease
The fate of the American Beech tree hangs in the balance, but the resilience of nature and the determination of those invested in its preservation offer a glimmer of hope.
Botany
The Parts of a Plant: The Root System
The Parts of a Plant: The Root System
Roots are almost always underground, but these hidden systems are responsible for a range of functions from securing the plant in the soil to absorbing water and nutrients. You can think of the root system as the foundation of a building: it's what keeps the plant stable, nourished, and capable of growth throughout its life cycle.
Parts of a Plant and Their Functions: Introduction and Basic Terminology
Parts of a Plant and Their Functions: Introduction and Basic Terminology
Part one of an in-depth series. Getting your hands dirty in the garden or diving into botany can be a much richer experience when you understand the various parts of a plant and their functions.
Red Oak VS White Oak: A Beginner Botanist’s Guide
Red Oak VS White Oak: A Beginner Botanist’s Guide
You might think that an oak is an oak, and there’s nothing else to it – but as a beginner botanist or curious naturalist, you might start to take a second look at those trees, however, and notice that they are all different. Red and white oaks are not just individual trees, but separate groups that contain different species. Fortunately, there's an easy way to tell them apart...
The Language of Science: Understanding Binomial Nomenclature
The Language of Science: Understanding Binomial Nomenclature
Since the beginning of written history, people have tried to categorize things, organizing the web of life into a wide range of classifications to better understand the world. This was the beginning of taxonomy, or the science of naming things.
Pinanga subterranea: The Palm That Flowered Underground
Pinanga subterranea: The Palm That Flowered Underground
This morning, a news story broke that a rare palm was found to flower and fruit underground. This is an incredible story of a modern scientific discovery in several ways:The New Discovery This story comes with two new discoveries. First, a species of palm that is...
How Do Ferns Reproduce?
How Do Ferns Reproduce?
Ferns have captured the imagination of many scientists’, with many aspects of these unique plants becoming a dissertation research subject. Some people have even dedicated their lives to studying the subject, always finding more questions than answers. Without diving too deep into the weeds with this subject, how exactly do ferns reproduce? Let's find out...
The Life Cycle of a Plant Explained
The Life Cycle of a Plant Explained
It’s one thing to think about the cycle of life in terms of seasons. In northern climates, winter is a time of snow cover and cold. A few plants have specialized to live in these climates, but most begin life in the spring or summer and die (or go dormant) in the autumn. In this article, we answer how that works and dive into the life cycle of a plant.