For example, if yellow monkey flowers are exposed to predators, they will produce babies with a quiver of defensive spikes on their leaves. Wild radishes that have lived through a scourge of destructive caterpillars will make baby radishes with extra-bristly leaves too, plus they’ll be preloaded with defensive chemicals to better ward off threats. If these plant-children end up facing the same challenges their parents did, they’ll be much better prepared to handle them.
