BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org
PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:Indybay-18702383
SEQUENCE:18791981
CREATED:20111210T202900Z
DESCRIPTION:\n\nFilm evenings begin with potluck refreshments and social hour at  6:30 
 pm,\nfollowed by the film at  7:30 pm, followed by a discussion after the 
 film.\n\nTHE PRIVATE LIFE OF PLANTS\nEpisode I:  Traveling\nby David 
 Attenborough\n\nThis first Episode looks at how plants are able to move.  
 The bramble is an aggressive example:  it advances forcefully from side to 
 side and, once settled on its course, there is little that can stand in its 
 way.  An altogether faster species is the birdcage plant, which inhabits 
 Californian sand dunes.  When its location becomes exposed, it shifts at 
 great speed to another one with the assistance of wind — and it is this 
 that allows many forms of vegetation to distribute their seeds.  While not 
 strictly a plant, the spores of fungi are also spread in a similar fashion. 
  One of the most successful (and intricate) flowers to use the wind is the 
 dandelion, whose seeds travel with the aid of “parachutes.”  They are 
 needed to travel miles away from their parents, who are too densely packed 
 to allow any new arrivals.  Trees have the advantage of height to send 
 their seeds further, and the cottonwood is shown as a specialist in this 
 regard.  The humidity of the tropical rainforest creates transportation 
 problems, and the liana is one plant whose seeds are aerodynamic 
 “gliders.”  Some, such as those of the sycamore, take the form of 
 “helicopters,” while others, such as the squirting cucumber release 
 their seeds by “exploding.”  Water is also a widely used method of 
 propulsion.  However, most plants use living couriers, whether they be 
 dogs, humans, and other primates, ants, or birds, etc., and to that end, 
 they use color and smell to signify when they are ripe for picking.\n\nThis 
 amazing film utilizes time-lapse sequences extensively in order to grant 
 insights that would otherwise be impossible.  Plants live on a different 
 time scale, and even though their life is highly complex and often 
 surprising, most of it is invisible to humans unless events that happen 
 over months or even years are shown within seconds.\n\nLike many 
 traditional wildlife documentaries, this film makes use of almost no 
 computer animation.  The mechanisms of evolution are taught transparently 
 by showing the advantages of various types of plant behavior in action.  
 The adaptations are often complex, as it becomes clear that the environment 
 to which plants must adapt comprises not just soil, water, and weather, but 
 also other plants, fungi, insects, and other animals, and even humans.  
 This film shows that co-operative strategies are often much more effective 
 than predatory ones, as these often lead to the prey developing methods of 
 self-defense — from plants growing spikes to insects learning to 
 recognize mimicry.\n\nWheelchair accessible around the corner at  411  28th 
  Street\n\n$5 donations are accepted\n\n \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/10/18702383.php
SUMMARY:The Private Life of Plants
LOCATION:Humanist Hall\n390  27th  Street\nuptown Oakland, between Telegraph and 
 Broadway\nhttp://www.HumanistHall.org
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/10/18702383.php
DTSTART:20111229T033000Z
DTEND:20111229T053000Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR