A pine cone on a December path can look like a small piece of carved weather. On a dry afternoon, its scales flare outward and cast little shadows. After rain, the same cone tightens into a darker, neater shape, as if it has tucked itself away from the cold. It is tempting to read this as a kind of plant…
Read more about Why pine cones open and close with the weather
By August, a garden begins to show its small machines. Bean pods dry and tighten. Poppy capsules rattle. Grass heads turn from green brushwork to brittle combs. And in the low, often overlooked places, a stork’s-bill or filaree may be preparing a trick so precise that it looks less like seed dispersal and more like a tiny hand tool. The…
Read more about The seeds that drill themselves into the soil
