Hidden World: The Survival Systems of Plants

Kevin Tarner, greenhouse manager, Plant Pathology Department, UGA

Defense is a 24/7 job for plants. Did you know that plants can warn each other about threats? Kill other plants? Trap and poison herbivores? After this class, you might never see a plant the same way again. Kevin “the Plant Man” Tarner, a professional horticulturist, will help participants examine the physical, cellular and chemical strategies native plants use to resist the stresses of their environment. The class will take place as a live, four-hour online class and feature a virtual demonstration of essential oil extraction (another important type of plant defense) from leaves. You will also learn how to construct a simple chemistry set to pull the oil out of fresh foliage.