Some plants can ‘hear.’

Plants may not have ears, but they’re able to detect sound vibrations in ways that would astonish most gardeners. Scientific research has revealed some plants perceive and respond to acoustic signals in their environment. They then use those vibrations to make crucial decisions about defense, growth, and even reproduction.

In 2019, biologist Lilach Hadany of Tel Aviv University discovered evening primroses can pick up the specific frequencies of bees’ wings. Within minutes, the plants increase their nectar’s sugar concentration, making themselves more attractive to the visiting pollinators. Hadany surmised that the flower’s bowl-shaped blossoms act as an earlike structure, helping to detect the vibrations.

One of the world’s largest carnivorous plants is big enough to eat rats.

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Nepenthes rajah, the world’s largest pitcher plant, secretes a sweet-scented nectar to lure prey — including rats, frogs, and insects — into its acidic pitcher traps, which then slowly digest the unfortunate creatures.

And in 2014, researchers at the University of Missouri found that when a caterpillar chews on the leaves of a plant, it creates distinctive vibrations that travel through the plant’s tissues. Some plants can detect those very specific vibrations and perceive them as a threat; they then engage their chemical defenses, producing compounds that make their leaves less palatable to the munching insects. 

Researchers refer to this as “hearing” because the plants aren’t just reacting to being touched or shaken — they’re “listening” for the unique “sounds” (vibrational rhythms) of the specific input (such as a predator chewing). Remarkably, the study showed plants can distinguish between different vibrations, whether it’s a munching insect or another mechanical disturbance such as the wind or raindrops — activating their defenses only when genuinely threatened.

Further studies have shown plants can even use sound to navigate their environment. In 2014, researchers discovered that plant roots are capable of locating water sources by sensing the vibrations generated by moving water — further evidence that plants can sense more than we give them credit for.

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