Plants lead fairly sessile lifestyles. They don’t get to the gym often. You won’t see them running around, but that doesn’t mean that they all cannot move. Venus fly traps have modified leaves that slam shut on top of unsuspecting prey. These modified leaves have hairs on the inside of them. These hairs trigger the closing response to spring the trap. Anyone who has ever seen this in action would argue that the plant is definitely moving. Also, there is a plant called Mimosa pudica that also moves when touched or if it gets too hot. The leaves fold and look like they are sagging. These plants evolved in prairies amongst the grasses. When the leaves are touched by…oh let’s say a grazing animal, the leaves will fold and sag. This gives the impression that the plant is wilting and is not as nutritious as the blades of grass right next to it. The grazing animal will most likely eat the healthy looking grass versus the sickly looking M. pudica. This folding and sagging also will occur if it gets too hot. This trigger occurs because as it gets warmer, the plant will generally lose more water. The folding and sagging causes the surface area of leaf that is exposed to the sun to decrease in an effort to stymie excess water loss from the plant.
Interesting, but true.
