Phyto-Optics
Wearing Green Colored Glasses: A look at plant blindness and the wonderful world of plants
There is a blockbuster movie that came out a few years ago involving big blue aliens fighting to protect their planet from being destroyed by foreign visitors. Part of the pull of the story is that they talk about the importance of seeing each other and the world around them. You can look at something, but do you really see it?
Plant blindness is a relatively new term created to describe the human oversight of plants in their environment. Coined by Wandersee and Schussler to highlight the dwindling of botanical topics in the U.S. education curriculum, plant blindness is broken down into 4 elements or, as Sandra Knapp describes, as symptoms.
The first element is the general failure of people to notice plant life in the environment. Do you know how plants fit into ecosystems? When someone talks about the environment, are plants included in the discussion? Most likely not. Plant related topics are scarce in U.S. public education. Lessons usually only include topics on photosynthesis or how plants are just food for animals. There are a few school districts that offer horticulture as an elective, but it is rare.
The second element is many people have no clue how important plants are to people and everything around them. Plants are the largest generator of oxygen on the planet. There is a quote on the internet about counting your money while holding your breath as a knock to businesses that don’t respect the environment. Products and food items that use plants out number animal products by far. Know that most fossil fuels come from really old plants. From the lumber in your house to the coffee, tea, and wine in your cups! All from plants.
The third element is not realizing how much your daily life involves plants. This is closely related to the second element, but at a more personal level. The human eyes see and generate more than 10 million bits of data, but utilizes only 40 bits and goes on to fully process 16 bits for conscience attention. To increase response, humans look for movement from things that could cause threats, like a lion in the bushes. But plants don't move fast enough for us to see and they won't eat or seek to harm humans. Unless of course, consumed or we react to their defense and chemical components. Think cactus spines or peanut allergies. Beyond the products made from plants, you interact with plants on a daily basis. Think about the landscapes that surround your home or office building. If you work or live in a large city, plants are fewer, but still important members of those urban ecosystems. Next time you go outside, look at the plants in your life. That dandelion growing in the crack of the sidewalk has an impact.
The fourth element is the perceived value and importance of animals over plants. You notice a bird sitting in the tree before you even notice what kind of tree it is. Humans notice creatures that are most similar to us, so animals are recognized before plants. We name our animal pets. We all have a lot of plants, but none of them have names and have you ever thought to give them a name? And with a few exceptions, like the Sanford University’s tree mascot and Ohio State’s buckeye, we only use animals as mascots. When there are devastating wildfires or other ecosystem destruction, everyone is concerned for the animals. Not much attention is given to the plant life lost as well. People are also more sympathetic to animals because they can perceive their pain or can interact with them. There might be some sympathy for the really old tree that gets struck by lightning, but not the thousands of trees in the Brazilian rainforest destroyed on a daily basis. It’s not that animals or plants are more important that the other, but they need to be equally respected and protected as part of our stewardship of the Earth.
To give some numbers to put it in prospective, Bar-On and cohorts (2018) published some eye-opening information about plants and people. They reported that there is over 450 Gigatons (that’s 450 million tons!) of plants on Earth, while there are only 2 Gigatons of animals. Half of those 2 Gigatons are insects and related creatures. There are an estimated 400,000 unique species of plants that humans have documented on Earth. There may be many more that we have not seen or noticed. Wandersee and Schussler point out that humans only notice plants when the plant is doing something that can be perceived by humans or provides something of value. This mostly includes flowering or producing fruit. Plants interact in so many ways that humans cannot see. The UV patterns on flowers that pollinators see that direct them to the nectar. The human eye cannot see this, but with technology we can begin to see and understand plants more.
So how do we reduce our plant blindness and view our world with green colored glasses? Everyday interactions with plants have the greatest impact and is the best strategy to reduce plant blindness. Gardening, horticulture, and agriculture are just a few ways that humans interact with plants. Christine Ro describes a condition she calls nature deficit disorder, which is the harm caused to humans by being alienated from nature. The less time we spend outside, the less we are exposed to the beauty of nature and all the creatures that we share it with.
Seeing all plants as relevant is important to maintain as many species as possible to prepare us for an ever-evolving future. There is no such thing as a weed, only plants we don’t understand yet. The importance of native plants needs to be emphasized. We are such a global species, we often forget that each place is unique, including the plants. Utilizing native species in their habitat, including your yard, reduces the need for extra care, including water and fertilizer. Native plants support native wildlife and keeps these places thriving.
To create solutions for reducing plant blindness, Wondersee and Schussler conducted studies with school aged children and exposure to botanical related topics. These studies state that while children prefer to learn about animals, early experiences growing plants with a knowledgeable and friendly plant mentor is a good predictor of a student's later interest in plants. Teach your children about plants and to respect them. Even if you don’t know anything about plants, learn together with your child. There are plenty of local resources, including agriculture extension agencies, local nurseries, Master Gardner clubs, websites, and even your crazy plant lady neighbor who can help you explore the possibilities of plants.
Lastly, support conservation of plants as much as animals. Plants make up 57% of the US endangered species list, so they need just as much (if not more) support as animals. Find non-profits who support both plants and animals if you are torn between which one to support. Look for companies that are sustainable and committed to protecting the environment as well. Volunteer for community projects that can spread awareness to reduce plant blindness. Get to know plants like you know the breeds of dogs or cats.
Take a look around you next time you mow the yard or take a walk. It's amazing how many plants are all around you if you only look. Slow down and see the plants that make up your home town. There is a reason why they say you should stop and smell the roses. You just might be surprised by what you can see with green-colored glasses.
References:
Here are the sources of some of the information gathered to write this post. Please explore these yourself to get even more cool facts and data for to reduce your own plant blindness.
Are Humans really blind to plants? Sandra Knapp in Plants People Planet vol. 1 issue 3 pa 164-168 June 11, 2019.
https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ppp3.36
The biomass distributionon Earth Yinon M. Bar-On, Rob Phillips, and Ron Milo Proceedings of the Nationa Academy of Sciences of the United States of America June 19, 2018 115 (25) 6506-6511
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/25/6506
Plant Blindness - William Allen in BioScience Vol. 53 (10) Oct 2003 Pg 926
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/53/10/926/254897
Why plant blindness matters - and what you can do about it - Christine Ro for BBC Future
US Fish and Wildlife Service – Endangered Species
https://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/us-species.html
#EndPlantBlindness #AllPlantsConsideredBlog #EndangeredSpecies #EndangeredPlants #PlantsEverywhere #ConsiderTheLilies #GreenColoredGlasses #AllPlantsConsideredImportant #SupportPlantsAsMuchAsAnimals