First published 2024
Plants communicate with each other. They recognize their relatives and store memories. They hear sounds and morph their bodies to camouflage themselves. Science reporter Zoë Schlanger takes readers into the hidden world of botanical intelligence, where recent discoveries challenge our assumptions about consciousness and agency. Scientists now know that plants can trick animals into serving them, grow leaves that perfectly mimic their surroundings, and shape flowers to match specific pollinators. A pea seedling hears water flowing and moves toward it. A vine creates leaves that blend seamlessly with its host shrub. Schlanger travels the globe to meet researchers who study these capabilities up close. She digs into the soil with botanists who debate what these findings mean for our understanding of plant life. The book examines how plants survive and thrive while rooted in place, developing parallel forms of intelligence that differ from human cognition. Schlanger explores what we owe these organisms once we understand their complex abilities and questions what role humans play in their world.
Genres: science, nature, environment, non-fiction, biology, academic, science-nature
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: informative, investigative
304 pages · Hardcover · Harper