Can Plants Count? Discover the Surprising Talent of the Venus Flytrap

Countless studies have explored plants' abilities to learn from their environment and even respond to it.

One particularly fascinating study, according to Professor Umberto Castiello, demonstrates that the carnivorous Venus Flytrap can count the steps its prey takes until reaching its "mouth."

Though plants lack a brain, they exhibit cognitive abilities. "They communicate with each other, see, hear, remember past events, and can even count," explains Castiello. He notes that science increasingly finds plants possess abilities akin to humans. "Scientists studying the Venus Flytrap were amazed to see the plant capturing its prey at precisely the right moment, twice within twenty seconds. They discovered that the plant remembers the prey's first step, allowing it to conserve precious energy and avoid unnecessary movements whenever it senses nearby activity. In this way, it reserves its strength for trapping its prey."

Another intriguing experiment was conducted on a plant called the 'Sensitive Mimosa.'

The scientists tested the plant's memory by dropping it from a height of 15 centimeters 56 times in succession.

After the experiment, the plant remembered being dropped and could recognize non-threatening falls. Since the falls were from a relatively low height, the plant did not fold its leaves. However, in other experiments where it was dropped from much greater heights, it immediately protected itself by quickly closing its leaves. "This plant has a rare ability to 'perceive,'" explains Professor Castiello. "It has a sort of reflex that tells it when to close its leaves. If it perceives the fall as from a normal height, the leaves remain open. But if it's from a higher height or if someone tries to touch its leaves, it will close, and in some cases, even its stem will droop."