Science

Maybe I am missing something but understanding this seems completely intuitive to me. Plants such vines will climb supports, right? How do they do it? As far as we know, they don't possess the gift of vision. So they must be able to perceive that they are touching something as they begin their ascent. It can't only be that they are reaching for the light since if that were the case they would grow straight up or out rather than climbing.

Maybe my observational deductions are clueless and I am too scientifically or botanically ignorant to get it, but it does seem intuitive to me. I could probably think up more observational evidence, but I'll leave it there rather spouting more possibly ignorant lay hypothesis. Uh-oh, just one more thing, and for this I have no observation basis, but it just seems intuitive to me that if you crush a plant with pressure the plant can feel it.