Although our lives depend on plants for virtually everything that keeps us alive (oxygen, food, fibers, lumber, fuel, etc), their lives remain a secret to most of us. The reason is simple - plants live on a different time-scale from ours. Although not usually obvious in the relatively hyperactive activities of humans, plants are in constant motion as they develop, search for light and nutrients, avoid predators, exploit neighbors, and reproduce.
Time-lapse photography allows us to easily see the movements of plants and clearly demonstrates that plants are living organisms capable of some extraordinary things. Time-lapse photography is done by capturing a series of images at intervals ranging from seconds to hours apart. When the images are viewed in rapid succession, much like a flip book, the effect is to compress into a short period, the changes that occurred over a relatively long period of time. The movies on this site show a variety of plants living out their dynamic lives. While we especially hope this site provides material that may captivate the interest of budding plant biologists, even the seasoned plant biologists will find interesting material. New movies will be added to the site as we make or obtain them. However, since making time-lapse movies requires considerable patience, time, and some luck, the rate at which new movies will appear is unpredictable. Other educational material are also becoming available on the site. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the material that is available now.
This site is intended to serve as a resource for nonprofit educational use. Feel free to include a link to this site in your web page or copy movies for in-class presentations. However, copies of the movies may not be included on other web sites. In some circumstances, "for-profit" use may be arranged (higher resolution versions of some movies are available). The rights to the contents of this site belong to Roger P. Hangarter and Indiana University unless otherwise indicated.
