Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Thursday - January 12, 2012

From: Danbury, CT
Region: Northeast
Topic: General Botany
Title: Help with Science Fair project from Danbury CT
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hello Mr Smarty, I was going to do my science project on weevils and their impact on milfoil. The weevils are in hibernation until spring and my project is due in mid-Feb. Any suggestions on a similar project that I can do now that include a local invasive species? Thanks Natalie

ANSWER:

You won't believe this, but this is not the first time Mr. Smarty Plants has been asked for help with Science Fair projects. Nor is this the first time that a little more planning ahead on the project might have saved the day. Since we don't know what kind of resources you might have, or the specifications for your particular school, we are going to link you to seven previous questions to Mr. Smarty Plants. Some have links to other websites that might make suggestions useful to you. Hopefully, some of these will give you suggestions you can use.

Plants surviving all climates

Music affecting sunflower plants

Fast growing plants

Music affecting necklacepod plants

Flowers opening at day or night

Glucose concentration for plants

Effects of temperature on plants

Plants that can grow in two weeks