My fellow book club mutual. What do you think of flowers? Do you have a favorite flower, and if so, why? I just like learning about flowers since I only grow annual houseplants in my room. Sorry for the random question TT
I love flowers!! They’re so beautiful and make people happy, and I love the relationships they have with other organisms - like how they use UV light to appeal more to bees and pollinators! I have a bunch of favorites; im from the eastern U.S, and I really really love monarch butterflies and fall meadows! So my favorites have to be milkweed, (which is the last photo of the three I added! and the host plant for monarch caterpillars!!) and goldenrod, which i don’t have a photo of offhand, but its super common in the fall and more beautiful than people give it credit for
Plant communication is also super cool?? Like the smell of cut grass is actually a chemical message to nearby plants so they up their defense to try and prevent what they think is a herbivore coming to eat them from succeeding. Also, the way flowers work is crazy cause like sunflowers are actually a bunch of flowers together?? and wow, I don’t really understand it but its so interesting!!
One of the greatest books I’ve ever read is by a native american botanist (Robin Wall Kimmerer) and is called Braiding Sweetgrass, and if you’re interested in plants, it’s 100% something you should check it! Honestly it changed my life, and it’s a fantastic book that made me cry multiple times because of how beautiful it is