what's a plant?
Plants are very important to all life on this planet. Without plants most life on Earth would disappear. They are food for animals, human beings and insects, too. They also take in carbon dioxide from our breath and produce oxygen, which humans and animals need to breathe to survive.
There are two main groups of plants, flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Some of the non-flowering plants are tiny, like mosses, lichen and algae. Others are HUGE, like the giant sequoia, the skyscrapers of the plant world. They can grow to be hundreds of feet tall.
Flowering plants are best known for their colorful petals and fragrances designed to attract pollinators like insects and birds.
There are two main groups of plants, flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Some of the non-flowering plants are tiny, like mosses, lichen and algae. Others are HUGE, like the giant sequoia, the skyscrapers of the plant world. They can grow to be hundreds of feet tall.
Flowering plants are best known for their colorful petals and fragrances designed to attract pollinators like insects and birds.
And this is how it works!
Inside the leaves of a plant, there are tiny cells with a green pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the key to a really cool process where sunlight is turned into food! It's called photosynthesis.
The chlorophyll traps sunlight, just like lots of little solar panels, then the solar energy is turned into fuel that can be stored in the plant as food. A bi-product of this happening is oxygen!
So, together with sunshine, water and nutrients from the soil, plants make all the food they need to grow and, of course, make more plants.
Inside the leaves of a plant, there are tiny cells with a green pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the key to a really cool process where sunlight is turned into food! It's called photosynthesis.
The chlorophyll traps sunlight, just like lots of little solar panels, then the solar energy is turned into fuel that can be stored in the plant as food. A bi-product of this happening is oxygen!
So, together with sunshine, water and nutrients from the soil, plants make all the food they need to grow and, of course, make more plants.