Transcript: Patterns in Nature

Bianca: I'd give anything for a green thumb. No matter how hard I try I kill every plant I own... it's a pattern, one that I need to break. You've heard about homicide? I'm guilty of herbicide! I water my plants every day. There's something wrong. I need help from an expert. (It's okay sweeties, we're gonna get you some water).

This is amazing; so many gorgeous plants! And none of them are dead. Can you help me? I have an emergency.

Gwen: Should I call an ambulance?

Bianca: Well, not that kind of emergency. I’m a plant killer, and I want to change.

Gwen: What do you mean?

Bianca: I mean, I want to learn more about plants, so that they can live long and prosper.

Gwen : I’d be happy to help. How about if I show you around the garden?

Bianca: That would be great! It’s amazing to see so many different kinds.

Gwen: It’s also interesting to see what they have in common. Notice anything?

Bianca: Yeah, they’re not brown, like mine.

Gwen: Anything else? Here’s a hint – look at the leaves.

Bianca: Hmmm. On each leaf, the right side looks like the left side.

Gwen: Right. And if you fold this down the middle, both sides match up. Many leaves are symmetrical. Symmetry is just one of the patterns found in nature.

Bianca: Wow, these flowers are symmetrical, too! The right side looks like the left side.

Gwen: Right. But if I also rotate the flower just the right amount…

Bianca: …it looks like it did before you rotated it.

Gwen: That pattern is called rotational symmetry.

Bianca: Wow! These flowers have rotational symmetry, too. Why do plants have symmetry?

Gwen: No one knows for sure. But scientists think it helps the plant get the sun and nutrients it needs to grow. Symmetry also may help plants stay balanced, so they don’t fall over.

Bianca: I just noticed something else. Every one of those purple flowers has five petals.

Gwen: You just found another pattern! It so happens that lots of different flowers have five petals.

Bianca: Like those yellow ones!

Gwen: Mm-hmm.

Bianca: And those pink ones!

Gwen: Right.

Bianca: Like the plants, my symmetrical brain needs some nutrients. Do you want an apple?

Gwen: Yes, thank you. I’d like to show you something.

Bianca: Awesome! A star is born!

Gwen: Every apple blossom turns into an apple with five seed compartments.

Bianca: Every apple?

Gwen: Yup. Guess how many petals an apple blossom has?

Bianca: Five?

Gwen: You got it.

Bianca: That is so cool! I know a lot more about plants than I did before. But I still don’t know how to keep mine alive. I water them every day.

Gwen: Every day?

Bianca: Right before breakfast.

Gwen: I think we just uncovered another pattern. You water your plants every day. You’re probably over watering them. You’re killing them with kindness!

Bianca: How is that possible?

Gwen: When you over water, the soil gets so soggy that oxygen can’t reach the roots. Then the roots rot and the plant dies.

Bianca: That’s great news!

Gwen: It is?

Bianca: Yeah, because all I have to do is change my pattern and water them less frequently, and they’ll live. I can have a green thumb!