Why Plants Do That

A young sunflower faces east in the morning, turns to face west by evening, and swings back to face east during the night, before the sun comes up. A bean seedling that gets its stem rubbed gently for ten seconds, once or twice a day, grows taller more slowly than one that's left alone. This site explains what plants are doing and how scientists figured it out, in words a kid can follow and a grown-up can check. Every article ends with something you can try together at home, and every fact comes from a published study listed at the bottom of the page. My first children's book, Sunny and the Sunflower Squad, is coming soon.