Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes spp)

Pitcher Plants are carnivorous plants found in Southeast Asia. They have modified leaves that form a pitcher to trap and digest insects. Some species are extremely rare and face threats from habitat loss and over-collection.

Featured plant

Leafy Prairie-Clover: This plant is located in only three areas: central Tennessee, north-central Alabama, and north-eastern Illinois. Leafy Prairie-Clover populations are being lost due to poor management skills as well as competition from invasive species, rock quarrying, and over-collecting. But thanks to a partnership between the Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Leafy Prairie-Clover is making a comeback.

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)

Light- Place it in a well-lit area where to receive indirect illumination throughout the day.

Water- Keep the soil moist, but let it dry out for at least 1 inch before watering again. It necessitates more frequent watering during the summer.

Pet friendly- No. If cats or dogs eat it, they will be poisoned.

Parent level- Intermediate. The fiddle leaf fig has a reputation for being a diva.

Pro tip: This plant enjoys moderate humidity, so a good mist will keep it happy.

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)

Light: Shine a bright light on this one, but not direct sunlight.

Water: Water it once or twice a week (yellow leaves = don't water it). Before watering, allow the soil to dry on top.

Pet friendly- No. If eaten, it is poisonous to both pets and humans.

Parent level- Beginner.

Pro tip- Cut a small notch in the node where the leaf came off if you desire new leaf growth after it has fallen off.

Plant class names

Tree 
 

Some species prefer specific plants

Different caterpillar species have evolved to feed on specific host plants1, a fact often reflected in their common names. For example, the Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar feeds exclusively on a milkweed plant5, while the Swallowtail Caterpillar consumes plants from the Apiaceae (carrot) family.

However, few caterpillar species have evolved to be carnivorous or omnivorous. These caterpillars have adaptations that allow them to eat insects or other small animals. Examples of carnivorous caterpillars include the Harvester Caterpillar, which feeds on aphids, a favorite of the ladybug, and the Lacewing Caterpillar, which preys on small insects.

Elephants only eat plants

Elephants are herbivores; they eat fruits, grasses, roots, and tree bark. They use the tusks on either side of their face to forage food. The African forest elephant seems to enjoy salt and will consume soil or other sources of sodium. Elephants can consume up to 136 kilograms of food and drink 113 to 190 liters of water daily. 

Elephants have a large appetite, so they spend a lot of time eating. Adult elephants spend most of their days roaming across long distances to find food. Elephants walk for 1 to 4 miles a day in search of food.

Newborn infant little likeable and pretty baby boy sleeping on little brown sofa in blue pijamas surrounded by plant and toy bears

Newborn infant little likeable and pretty baby boy sleeping on little brown sofa in blue pijamas surrounded by plant and toy bears

Is tree planting effective against climate change

There are different schools of thought on whether tree planting can reverse global warming. Some think it is just what we need to stop climate change once and for all, but others are not so optimistic. Before examining all the different opinions on the climate-saving power of trees, let’s see how carbon sequestration works.

The process of photosynthesis through which plants increase their biomass requires carbon dioxide, amongst other things. CO2 is responsible for 33% to 60% of plant growth. So for plants to survive, they need carbon dioxide, and there is an excess amount in the atmosphere already. So forests absorb and store carbon, and they also help our lands store it as well. In tropical forests, 50% of CO2 is stored in plant biomass, and the other half is in the soil.

Trees all over the world help to maintain the CO2 balance of the planet. Not only do forests absorb CO2, but they also release it too. When we burn trees, cut them down, or they die and decay, the carbon escapes into the atmosphere. 

Over the past four decades, forests have sequestered one-quarter of the CO2 emissions caused by humans. Scientists believe that they can do an even better job. The forests in the EU have an estimated 9.8 billion tons of carbon stored in their biomass. This means that the yearly carbon emissions of the EU are only about one-seventh of the amount already stored in the forests. Therefore, the forests in the EU are seen as a viable method of reducing global warming.

Scientific evidence shows that forests, both old-growth and managed, sequester up to 6 tons of carbon per hectare. Research theorizes that replanting trees on 2 billion hectares of degraded land can wipe out the yearly increase of atmospheric CO2. 

Using trees to reduce global warming is not as straightforward as it may sound. This is because forests could also become carbon sources. Fires, pest outbreaks, and storms cause a massive return of carbon to the atmosphere.

For instance, Canada's managed forests have done a great job as carbon sinks until recently. In the past decades, however, the forests were carbon sources at some points. This happened because of tree insect outbreaks, forest fires, and land use.

Another study advises that the tropics are the best place to plant trees2. Trees grow faster in these areas and therefore absorb CO2 faster. The study suggests that planting trees in snowy areas could become problematic. This is because the trees can create a warming effect, which is the issue we are trying to avoid in the first place.

In temperate climates like much of Europe and some parts of the US, planting trees may have no significant effect on global warming. The study concludes that planting trees to solve global warming is not the worldwide solution presented by enthusiasts.

Professor Beverly Law of Oregon state university disagrees with the idea that more trees will do damage to the icy regions of the planet. In her opinion, the polar regions are warming at a much faster rate than the rest of the earth.

It is not correct to assume that the snow cover will remain intact without trees despite the earth’s rising temperature. It is most likely that the snow will melt in the coming decades anyway. In that situation, trees will not create an albedo effect. 

Then again, Nadine Unger, a professor at the University of Exeter, UK, warns against tree planting. She states trees could form the greenhouse gas methane or ozone through a chemical reaction as the chief reason.

In her 2014 study, she calculates that deforestation from 1850 to the 2000s has created a cooling effect that slightly offsets the warming of greenhouse gas emissions. Her article “to save the planet, don't plant trees” was published in the New York Times. However, Professor Dominick Spracklen, who has studied the effects of aerosols, says such reactions are insignificant. And have a very minute impact on the climate of the earth.

Warming temperatures could also cause increased heterot

Heirloom Plants (Vegetables)

Heirloom plants, often referred to as ‘heritage plants,’ are used for food and are grown for non-commercial purposes. They are direct descendants of old varieties and are usually handed down or gifted. These plants are usually cultivated in isolated groups.

Heirloom plants have been tried and tested as a method to attract bees to gardens – they’re an age-old method of catching any bee’s attention, and this method continues to work. Several of our ancestors who had an interest in gardening have planted these varieties in their days, but it might be tricky getting your hands on a rare and genuine selection in the modern day.

You can reach out to organizations such as Seed Savers Exchange (US) and Plants of Distinction (UK) to ask for heirloom plants. A quick online search may also show similar organizations run by local planters and farmers in your area, who can also provide gardening tips. These organizations carry unique heirloom vegetable seeds that would become interesting plant additions to your garden.

One reason solitary bees love heirloom plants is that they are usually ‘single blossom’ plants with nectarine linings that bees find easy to navigate, making pollination a lot easier. Organic varieties such as rainbow carrots, Brandywine pink tomatoes, Big Jim peppers, and Yellow Pear tomatoes will be safe.

Heirloom plants are a known bee favorite, and growing the right plants in your garden, including some heirlooms, could guarantee the attention of bees.