Most plants obtain their energy by converting sunlight into food, which makes them a target for hungry animals. But not all plants are defenseless. Some plants fight back, and a few even become a threat to those trying to eat them. These books explore many interesting plants and the strategies and adaptations they use to survive. They make a great starting point for nature explorations, classroom discussions, and activities!
Killer Carnivorous Plants
by Nathan Aaseng
Plants gather energy from the sun and turn it into leaves, flowers, fruit. Animals, who can’t produce their own food, eat the plants. But what happens when you turn the food chain upside down? When the plants are the hunters and animals the hunted? In this book you’ll meet sticky traps, trigger traps, and pits of death. There’s also a handy survival manual for carnivorous plants.
Classroom Activity – Build a Carnivorous Plant Model
How do carnivorous plants trap animals and insects? Divide students into small groups. Assign each group a type of carnivorous plant trap mechanism, such as snap traps, pitfall traps, and sticky traps. Each group should research their assigned trap and the plants that have it. Using classroom craft supplies such as paper, cardboard, string, and glue, each group should design a working model of their plant trap. When all models are completed, each group of students can share what they learned about the trap and demonstrate their model for the class.
When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants
by Rebecca Hirsch
Beware the killer plants – the leaves that sting, the jaws that trap. This book, not for the faint-of-heart, is the perfect read for kids who want to know about the bird-catching plant, vampire vines, and corpse flowers.
A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds
by Rebecca Hirsch
For older readers, Hirsch has an engaging, conversational, almost conspiratorial, text invites the reader on an exploration of the “science, history, and true crime coverage” of fourteen poisonous plants, seeds, and fungus found around the world. Gorgeous taxonomic illustrations, photos, and “Deadly Details” sidebars help highlight some innocent and more sinister encounters with these plants.
Classroom Activity – Design Your Own Deadly Plant
Nature has created many deadly plants. Now, it’s your turn! Students should use their imagination to create a poisonous or carnivorous plant. Write a description of the deadly plant and include the following details:
- Where does the plant grow?
- How does it trap or poison prey?
- What adaptations does the plant have?
- What animals or humans should avoid the plant?
Students can draw a picture, create a model, or build a representation of their deadly plant creation and present it to the class.
Classroom Activity – Poisonous Plants Safety
What poisonous plants live in your community? Have students select a local poisonous plant to research, individually or in small groups. With the information they learn, students should prepare a public safety announcement to warn people about the dangers of the plant. They can make a safety poster, film a commercial, or make a PowerPoint presentation warning about the local poisonous plant. The warning should include information about where it is commonly found, how to identify the plant, symptoms that occur when one comes into contact with the poisonous plant, and first aid tips.
Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds: How Plants Made Our World
by Andy Warner
From trees to rice, tea to spice, plants are central to our day-to-day lives. In graphic novel-style, this book explains how plants, from corn to potatoes, shaped human history. First, a grounding in plant essentials: photosynthesis, food web, and a fun graphic table of contents. Chapters focus on wood and wheat, tea and tulips, potatoes, peppers, cotton, corn, and rice.
Classroom Activity – What If Plants Disappeared?
Plants have had an integral role in Earth’s history. Animals and humans have relied on plants for food, shelter, and more. But what if plants disappeared from Earth? What impact would it have on ecosystems, animals, and humans? Conduct a group discussion or have students write a brief essay on the significance of plants to ecosystems and human life. Have them think about what life would be like without plants.
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Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at http://www.carlamooney.com, on Facebook @carlamooneyauthor, on Instagram @moonwriter25 or on X @carlawrites.
Lynne: It’s been in the works for a long time. Parts of it I wrote 10 years ago. The setting is made up from different coastal towns in Texas, including Indianola. That town was pummeled by two hurricanes in the late 1800’s and is now a ghost town. Much of the old town is now underwater. In the book, the main character, Max, is a sweet compassionate kid, but his father is an overbearing politician and car salesman. They also look alike. So when Max travels to the beach with his mother, it’s a welcome change from the pressures of trying to fulfill what others have planned for him – like being a football star.
Lynne: I watched documentaries, then got to meet octopuses at various aquariums, including Houston Zoo. At the zoo, I did a behind-the-scenes tour where I could meet them. In one instance, one of my hands was being pulled into a tank by an octopus while my other hand took pictures. The ones I met were Giant Pacific. They’re the ones most people think of even though it’s not the one in the book. They are huge. At the Houston Zoo, the octopus didn’t have a name so I named her Ursula. I used the same name in my book. Max thinks the octopus he finds looks like a deflated volleyball, so it’s smaller than the ones most people see in public aquariums.
Lynne: I’d written about mammals before but octopuses are so different. They’re good puzzle solvers. I was reading about their brains. It’s almost as if they have nine brains. There is a central brain, and each arm has its own brain. They can hunt for food with one arm while punching an animal with the other. They don’t have long lives. They live about 3 years. And they don’t grow up with examples, so their behavior has to be instinctual. Their fathers die after mating. Their mothers watch over the eggs then dies when they hatch.
Lynne: Max hangs out at the center. He’d grabbed post-storm debris for a makeshift tank while he searched for help. He meets Emmett, who suggests they take her to a beach house, which is the wildlife care center. Inside they see injured animals such as sea gulls, pelicans, and a sea turtle with a cracked shell. The center names the animals after book characters. They have a tank big enough to care for the octopus until she’ll be strong enough release back to the environment. Octopuses have escaped, so they have to weigh down the lid. They also have a lot of hatchlings. Some have hundreds, others have tens of thousands. Most will not make it which may be why octopuses have so many eggs.
