ELI5: Do plants move?

Imagine you're playing hide-and-seek. You move to hide behind a tree, right? Plants move too, but very slowly!

Think about a sunflower. It always faces the sun throughout the day. That's movement! It's not running around, but it's definitely adjusting its position.

Or, imagine you have a plant on a windowsill. Notice how the leaves tend to lean towards the window? They're moving to get more sunlight.

Here’s why we don't always notice:

• They move really slowly. We're used to seeing things moving quickly, like cars or people. Plants move over hours, days, or even weeks.
• They don't have muscles like we do. They use turgor pressure (water pushing inside their cells) and growth to move.

• Roots growing downwards to find water.
• Vines wrapping around a fence.
• Flowers opening and closing.
• A venus flytrap closing its leaves to catch a bug – that's a faster movement!