Plants are a fascinating variation on the survival theme. They can’t move in response to their environment and therefore must be born with everything required to defend and nurture themselves in the environment where they take root if they are to survive. They also cannot nurture their young, but, with the exception of weeds, they require a highly sophisticated and sensitive environmental context to grow. One must not think designing a reproducing organism with these properties is easy. And yet, a simple walk through a national forest will confirm that there are literally millions of variations on this theme – from grass to the most beautiful wild flowers to enormous trees that are thousands of years old. Perhaps it is the engineer or architect who can appreciate design.
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