Spotlight Science: Plant Love/Hate Stories

‘Tis the season for mistletoe. And while most of us fondly associate the plant with romance during the holiday season, it’s actually a wicked parasite that attacks living trees. Love ‘em, hate ‘em, our relationship with plants can be complicated.

Conservation scientists Becky Barak (Chicago Botanic Garden) and Becky Tonietto (University of Michigan, Flint) will be our special guests, helping you sort through and share your big feelings about plants.

They founded Plant Love Stories, a storytelling movement, to show how plants affect us all and shape our lives—they want to grow plant love in a big way!

Barak and Tonietto will host a live storytelling event featuring their own plant love stories and those of UMN scientists and facilitate a drop-in activity where you can contribute your own story to the movement.