Two groups of plants exhibit such intriguing behaviour that a century and a half ago they attracted the attention of Charles Darwin, and these same plants still fascinate scientists today. In these two, one hour films, Plants Behaving Badly reveals a world of deceit and treachery worthy of any fictional thriller.
Darwins book on 'On The Origin Of Species shook the scientific world. Yet it was his next book, devoted entirely to orchids, that filled in the gaps and clarified his revolutionary ideas. Orchids have an ethereal beauty, whether growing hundreds of feet up in a misty rainforest or along the verges of busy suburban roads. But their exotic flowers are shaped for just one purpose to seduce pollinators. In part one of Plants Behaving Badly, well get up close and personal with these extraordinary plants.
Scientists have recently shown that many more plants are carnivorous than we had ever thought. In part two, we welcome the world of killer tomatoes and murderous potatoes. Carnivorous plants have featured in many sci-fi films over the years, but the reality turns out to be far stranger than the fiction.