Hungary, 2024 | 52 min Director: Enikő Berta 12+ Competition Popular science
After a thorough mowing, the gardener sighs with relief. Finally, the yellowing spots of dandelions hiding in the lawn disappear, and we can once again admire the continuous, flawless green lawn. If this story were to continue, the aforementioned gardener would certainly be very sad the next morning. Dandelions do not give up easily: They grow a new flower, but this time almost without a stem, flattened close to the ground. Many people are familiar with this phenomenon, but only a few of them are filled with the sincere amazement typical of botanists and plant biologists, which encourages people to get to the bottom of these things. The knowledge of how plants live stops at one point for the average person: They need to be watered, and then they will grow. But plants are not passively vegetative creatures. They record the events of the past, plan for the future, and ruthlessly keep their own interests in mind. They have “cunning tactics” that we are only now beginning to truly discover. And let’s face it, who would have thought that the insignificant little bracken fern bush we pass on a spring walk was actually a thousand years old?