Do you know if a flower sleeps at night?
The answer is yes — plants, in their own way, do sleep at night.
Animals depend on plants and trees for the air they breathe, and plants and trees depend on animals for theirs. It is a wonderful balance in nature — each gives what the other needs to live.
Plants take in carbon dioxide from the air. They use the carbon to build their food and give off oxygen, which makes life possible for animals. Animals, in turn, breathe out carbon dioxide, which plants use again. So we may truly say that we cannot live without plants, and plants cannot live without us.
When the sun is shining, plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen. But when night falls, they rest. During the night they stop taking in carbon dioxide and instead take in a small amount of oxygen, giving off a little carbon dioxide while they “sleep.”
Although plants rest at night, they continue to grow — both in daylight and in darkness. They are alive and active, but their rhythm changes with the sun.
Many flowers depend on insects to carry pollen from one blossom to another. Some insects, such as moths, sleep during the day and work only at night. These night-flying insects visit night-blooming flowers, bringing them the pollen they need to make seeds.
... that the largest flower in the world is the Rafflesia Arnoldii? It grows deep in the tropical forests of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is a parasitic plant that looks somewhat like a giant red cabbage and consists only of a single flower — it has no stem, no leaves, and no roots of its own. The blossom may reach more than three feet in diameter and can weigh up to twelve pounds. Despite its beauty, it gives off a strong and unpleasant odor, like rotting meat. It was first discovered at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
... that a water lily from South America has the largest leaf of any plant? This amazing lily, called Victoria amazonica, sometimes has leaves up to forty feet across. They are so strong that a small child can stand on one without sinking.
... that violets grow wild in most parts of the world? In many countries, the violet is one of the first flowers to bloom when winter ends and spring begins. Its gentle color and fragrance are among the first signs of the new season.
... if bees take ready-made honey from flowers?
It is a mistake to think that bees find honey already made in flowers. Flowers do not contain honey. Bees collect nectar — a sweet liquid — from the blossoms, then take it back to their hives. There they mix it with their own special juices and fan it with their wings until it becomes thick and golden honey.
