Did You Know That Plants Are More Intelligent Than We Might Think?

How many times have you walked by a plant and not given it a second glance?

How often do we think about how plants might feel or what they are experiencing?

Plants stay still all the time, and it is only natural to think of them as objects with no life.

OK, you see them grow, but they don't move as other living beings do.

I used to think that too until I discovered what plants are really capable of doing - which completely changed my perspective on how we should be treating these amazing organisms!

Plants can feel pain and react to it

It may sound strange to think that plants can feel pain as humans, but science shows that they are much more complex than we realize.

According to a study published by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, when plants are injured, they release an alarm signal that sets off chemical reactions as a way to protect themselves.

This is similar to what happens to humans and other animals when experiencing pain from injury or illness.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University conducted a study on tomato and tobacco plants by depriving them of water and cutting their leaves.

They studied how they reacted by placing a microphone ten centimeters away from the plants and what they found out is really amazing.

The plants emitted an ultrasonic "scream," about 35 distress sounds per hour. We humans aren't able to hear these sound frequencies.

Plants can see

Don't worry...

You can keep reading this post in your underwear; the aloe vera across the room can't see you.

Or can it?

The study proved that plants have fully functioning photoreceptors in their leaves that help them in sensing light.

Scientists first suspected this when observing plants that grew towards windows and even on top of other vegetation where there was more sunlight exposure.

This could only make sense if these organisms could detect different wavelengths of light just like animals can.

Plants can move

Well, you might not be able to play catch with them as you do with your dog.

However, plants move as they grow, turning towards the sun and branching their roots towards the water.

This can sometimes happen without human assistance.

The most common example of these types of plants are vines, which use their tendrils to climb up onto other surfaces such as trees or fences.

Other plant species retract their leaves when sensing danger on the horizon.

Venus Flytrap is a plant with two lobes. When one lobe senses an insect, it snaps shut, trapping its prey for later consumption.

Plants can talk to each other

Scientists believe plants may communicate with each other through chemicals in the air and their roots.

Plants can actually sense environmental stressors, such as temperature changes or the presence of insects.

When plants are being attacked by insects, they warn each other through chemicals signals.

The "receptor" plants then change the taste of their leaves from tasty to bitter to avoid the attack.

Plants can sense touch

Plants react to touch by releasing hormones into their cells which affect their growth patterns and metabolism.

Mimosa pudica plants are known for their ability to fold themselves up quickly and escape predators.

They have touch-sensitive leaves that can detect the slightest stimulus from an insect to a heavy raindrop.

When the plant feels threatened, it folds its leaves inwards to avoid being eaten or damaged.

Mimosa's defense mechanism has become a popular topic of study among scientists who want to learn more about how this process occurs without the plant having any visible sensor on its leaves!

Plants like music

Your cactus might need some rhythm into its life!

Plants are stimulated by the sound of music that falls within a specific frequency range, with jazz and classical seeming to be their favorite kind of music.

However, they don't like to be exposed to music for more than one to three hours per day.

Researchers found cantaloupe and watermelon grew faster when exposed to classical music.

Another study showed that corn seedlings' roots responded favorably to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by growing more on one side than the other.

Plants can smell

Plants are experts at smelling things, too!

They can sense odors from afar just as well (if not better) as we humans do with our noses.

Plants get all the information through tiny pores called stomata placed at the undersides of their leaves.

They also have detectors called olfactory hairs or sensilla that help them detect odors of old roots that will lead them to water sources.

Plants can think

You might be surprised to know that plants have a form of consciousness.

You may not believe it, but recent studies show evidence suggesting plant life possesses an ability similar to what we call thinking.

The idea here is rooted in how organisms respond when faced with an external stimulus such as temperature or light intensity changes.

Like any living being, plants will sense danger and try to protect themselves from any potential threat.

Plants are a lot more intelligent than we give them credit for.

They are incredibly diverse and intricate organisms with many of the same senses as humans.

Plants' consciousness should make us realize how incredible this world really is and remind us that we should treat all living beings with respect.