Plantwatch
Paul Simons's monthly reports on what's happening in the world of plants
Plantwatch: new species of elusive fairy lantern found in Malaysia
It looks more like a sea creature than a plant – but Thismia malayana was discovered amid rotten logs in a rainforest
Plantwatch: the trees that synchronise reproduction around summer solstice
Beech trees across Europe coordinate their seed production each year even over vast distances and climates
Plantwatch: Britain’s volunteer naturalists provide vital knowledge
The practice of recording firsthand observations about nature goes back centuries and provides an invaluable resource
Plantwatch: why does a rainforest vine turn into a part-time carnivore?
Scientists have finally discovered why this remarkable plant becomes hungry for bugs
Plantwatch: how does moss survive and thrive in harsh Antarctic climate?
Incredibly tough plants can tolerate intense cold and prolonged darkness, but temperature has also been rising
Plantwatch: redwoods make amazing recovery after California wildfire
Fresh growth sprouted from buds under bark and deep inside trees, some buds having lain dormant for 1,000 years
Plantwatch: the strange organism so tough it can survive in space
Lichen survived 18 months attached to outside of International Space Station and raises prospect life could exist on Mars
How desert shrub’s salty ‘sweat’ collects water from dry air
Athel tamarisk’s hydration trick could inspire methods of harvesting water in parched environments
Plantwatch: restored ghost ponds bring seeds back to life
Seeds preserved for decades can be revived and the plants thrive again along with aquatic animals
Plantwatch: the bamboo that flowers once every 120 years
Next hachiku bamboo flowering event was due in 2028 – but three years ago botanists made a shocking discovery
Plantwatch: Venus flytrap has ‘fire alarm’ to detect blaze danger
Trigger hairs that close its trap contain heat-sensitive cells that react to a rapid temperature rise
Plantwatch: how a liverwort captures its prey
Some of the ancient plants have curious pouches that can trap tiny creatures
Plantwatch: many of Scotland’s arctic-alpine plants on brink of extinction
Climate change driving species such as snow pearlwort higher up the mountains
Why mosses are superheroes of the plant world
Vilified as the scourge of perfect lawns, these tiny plants fight air pollution and keep soils healthy
Cycads: the primeval plants getting rarer – and harder to protect
Here before the dinosaurs, plants now face extinction due to illegal trade and vanishing tropical forests
Nepenthes lowii: the carnivorous plant that evolved into a toilet
Some species that grow where insects are scarce encourage animals to poo in their pitchers
Plantwatch: rare species flourish in Swanscombe wasteland
Area in Kent has more threatened species than any other brownfield site in UK – but its future is at risk
Plantwatch: the mushroom that is both delicacy and predator
Oyster mushroom feeds on roundworms using a deadly nerve agent that causes paralysis
From wetland wonder to Woodstock: in praise of the alder tree
Plantwatch pays tribute to a water-resistant species whose uses range from flood defence to Hendrix’s Fender Stratocaster
Plantwatch: how fertilisers interfere with flowers’ electric fields
Research shows disruption lasts for up to 25 minutes after spraying, discouraging insects from visiting
About 176 results for Plantwatch 
