Ep. 39: Plant Evolution—Kid Q&A

A class of elementary-school students put Sean and Erin through their plant-knowledge paces

Author

Plants Always Win
November 26, 2025

Kids ask the best nature questions!

For this episode, a class of elementary-school students prepared a list of questions about plants for Sean and Erin to answer. The best part, of course, is that these are questions few adults would think to ask, and they let our hosts explore all sorts of fascinating topics. How did plants come to be the way they are? Why did they evolve to have roots (or no roots!) and leaves and fruit? What makes one tree grow big leaves while another one has narrow needles? We talk evolutionary niches, the tree of life, food chains, and even how plants move water and sugar through their cells. 

Step into our plant-life classroom and see what you can learn from the curiosity of children!

Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon.

Credits

Website Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin

Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays
License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH

Citations

Bryophytes and Tracheophytes? Categories of Plants With and Without Roots
Plant diversity. (n.d.). NatureWorks. https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/nwep14b.htm 

The Parts of a Leaf
Libretexts. (2022, May 4). 13.1: Leaf parts and arrangement. Biology LibreTexts. https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Botany/A_Photographic_Atlas_for_Botany_(Morrow)/13%3A_Leaves/13.01%3A_Leaf_Parts_and_Arrangement 

Making Paper from Plants at Home

Quillen, K. (2023, October 3). How to make paper from plants – Mother Earth news. Mother Earth News – the Original Guide to Living Wisely. https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/making-paper-from-plants-zm0z17jjzqui/

Lipman, B. (2024, October 16). Paper from Iris and Daylily. https://www.handpapermaking.org/post/paper-from-iris-and-daylily 

Timestamps

00:13 Introduction
01:13 What’s Growing On: Sean’s Seed Saving
02:56 What’s Growing On: Erin’s Season Extension
05:53 Do All Plants Have Roots? Let’s Talk Bryophytes
06:08 Plants’ Vascular Systems: Xylem and Phloem
08:40 Why Do Plants Need Roots?
11:15 Many Types of Roots
12:29 What is the Blade on a Leaf?
14:40 Why do Oak Leaves Get So Big?
20:22 How Fast Can Some Flowers Grow?
26:17 Why Do Plants Grow Food?
32:51 How Do Plants Survive the Winter?
41:38 Erin’s New Picture Book: If You Go Walking
42:58 How Do You Make Paper with Plants?
46:10 Paper Recycling Tangent
47:06 Making Paper from Daylilies and Iris
54:33 Outro and Contact Us