Wondering about the Wonders of Nature

Before I go off wondering, Hermit Jim brought back a lot of memories. Take a moment and reminiscence with Jim.

The wonder of nature never ceases to amaze me. From its variety to its tenacity, from its beauty to its harshness, it always fascinates me.

Did you ever wonder if plants could communicate with other plants and maybe even with all living things. I believe that all living things communicate in some fashion with all other life. Of course, that is how you define life.

Take viruses for an example. They “are not alive on one hand. They don’t have cells, they can’t turn food into energy, and without a host they are just inert packets of chemicals”.

But, “viruses are not exactly dead either. They have genes, they reproduce, and they evolve through natural selection”. They also communicate with each other.

OK, I got off the subject of plants. Science has proven that they do communicate in a fashion. They can do this in a couple of ways; through their root system and through their leaves, flowers, etc.

Botanists have observed that many trees do not grow well near members of their own species. How do they know? By the microbes in the soil. And the opposite is also true. For instance, sagebrush plants fare better when surrounded by their own kind. Science tells us that these plants send out airborne chemicals that “speak” to their relatives.

You know, to think about it, the salad I had yesterday screamed each time I bit down on the lettuce!!