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Plants

Delphinium pergrinum

Amazing Close-Ups of Seeds

A scientist-artist duo creates stunning images, taken through a scanning electron microscope, of seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank

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Nikon Announces the Winners of its “Small World” Competition

See a selection of beautiful images captured by scientists gazing through light microscopes

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Sinfully Delicious Apples That You Should Never Try to Eat

Inspired by the work of Cornell scientists, Los Angeles-based Jessica Rath creates sculptures and photographs of the autumn fruit

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VIDEO: Watch This Carnivorous Plant Fling an Insect Into Its Mouth

A small plant native to Australia features two sets of touch-sensitive tentacles to catapult insects towards its digestive concavity and then draw them in deeper

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PHOTOS: Tour Smithsonian Gardens’ Fall Flowers

The heat and torrents of rain have paid off with bright, beautiful blooms around the Mall

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Picture-Perfect Bonsai

In a new book, botanical photographer Jonathan Singer focuses his lens on the potted plants

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This African Fruit Produces the World’s Most Intense Natural Color

Pollia condensata produces its striking deep blue color with a mechanism virtually unknown in plants

Experiments show several natural herbs provide some protection from the sun.

Can Natural Herbs Protect Your Skin From the Sun?

A number of studies indicate that several herb extracts could protect against sunburn and other damage from UV light

Flying foxes roost in the trees in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens in 2008.

Bats Lose Out to Historic Trees in Sydney

Flying foxes can defoliate trees, but should the Royal Botanic Garden shoo this vulnerable species from its grounds?

Computer models indicate that wildfires will become more frequent in temperate regions as the climate changes over the coming decades

Climate Change Means More Wildfires in the West

A new study indicates that temperate regions will experience more fires, while equatorial areas will see fewer

Scientists are racing against time: 100,000 species of flora-imperiled by habitat destruction, overharvesting and climate change—are threatened with extinction.

The Noah’s Ark of Plants and Flowers

Scientists at a British laboratory are racing to preserve thousands of the world’s threatened plants, one seed at a time

Photographer Eric Long captures a rainbow over the Air and Space Museum.

Capturing the Moment: A Rainbow this Morning on The National Mall

Smithsonian Institution staff photographer Eric Long captured the moment this morning on his way to work

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Ten Extremely Rare Seeds on the Brink of Extinction

The Millennium Seed Bank has set out to collect 25 percent of the world’s plant species by 2020—before it is too late

Celebrate Suma Qamaña, or living well, at the Bolivian Festival this Saturday

Events May 11-13: Gardening for Healthy Living, Bolivian Festival, Steinway Series for Mother’s Day

Celebrate living well with Mom this weekend at Garden Fest, the Bolivian Festival and at the Steinway series with Mendelssohn Piano Trio

Every Tuesday, take a guided tour through the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden.

Events May 1-3: Ripley Garden Tour, the Multi-colored Universe, and Roni Horn

This week, take a garden tour, discover the universe through cutting edge developments in X-ray telescopes, and meet acclaimed artist Roni Horn

Shake off winter with a scavenger hunt in the Smithsonian Gardens.

Events April 3-5: Spring Break, Let’s Move! and Baseball Presidencies

Spend spring break at the National Portrait Gallery, explore the Smithsonian gardens, and learn about baseball’s special place in our presidential history

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can adversely interact with certain medications.

Why Does Grapefruit Mess With Your Medicine?

The juicy fruit can cause negative side effects with a number of prescription and over-the-counter medicines

Ice cores from a lake in Norway. Image from Science/AAAS

Trees Weathered the Ice Age

Pine and spruce trees managed to survive in certain spots in Scandinavia, according to DNA analyses

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Svalbard Global Seed Vault Turns Four

Four years ago this week, researchers opened the “Doomsday Vault” to store frozen seeds in case of disaster

Wildlife corridors allow animals to safely cross urban areas.

Do Wildlife Corridors Really Work?

A new crowd-sourced project aims to identify and evaluate pathways that connect bits of wildlife habitat

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