Sagebrush plants warn their neighbors of danger

Ever heard some sagebrush shout, Look out? New research says plants like the brush common in eastern Oregon can warn their clones of impending danger. The study suggests plants have a more complex system of communication than we tend to think, even if we're not sure how they "talk" to one another. The study published in Ecology Letters found that the plants communicate to their genetically identical neighbors about predators like grasshoppers, perhaps be emitting chemical cues into the air. "Plants are capable of responding to complex cues that involve multiple stimuli," Richard Karban of the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis. "Plants not only respond to reliable cues in their environments but also produce cues that communicate with other plants and with other organisms, such as pollinators, seed disperses, herbivores and enemies of those herbivores." Oregonian

I saw some of those "sagebrush sentries" yesterday. Sharon was heading out to the garden and I could hear them screaming clear up to the house.

Believe me, I know how they felt. I've experienced that same gut-wrenching fear when she came walking toward me with that hoe in her hands.