More kinds of plants are crammed together in the tropical rainforests than anywhere else on Earth. The result is astonishing beauty and intense competition, a plant battleground. New filming techniques allow us to enter the plants' world and see it from their perspective and on their timescale. From fast-growing trees to flowers that mimic dead animals, this is a journey into a magical world that operates on a different timescale to our own.
Water plants create some of the most beautiful, bizarre and important habitats on earth. To hold on in torrents, plants use a kind of superglue. Some are armed with vicious weapons to fight titanic battles for space. Others form perfect spheres and escape from animal enemies by rolling. Where nutrients are washed away, plants turn into hunters of animals, laying traps and even counting to ensure their success. Brilliantly coloured flowers smother lakes, and in one magical river in Brazil, the water bubbles like champagne as plants create the atmosphere itself.
Between the tropics and the frozen poles lies a region dominated by relentless change in the form of the four seasons: Spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each one presents plants with huge challenges, from ice and snow to raging fires, from intense competition to surprising enemies. This is a world of astonishing variety and vibrant colour. To survive here plants must use strategy, deception and remarkable feats of engineering. Most importantly, they must get their timing right.
Two out of five wild plants are threatened with extinction. Today people are finding remarkable ways to help them, and so make our world a little greener and a little wilder.
Recommended for Mature Audience
Run time:
0 hr and 57 min
Overview
Step into a magical hidden world full of remarkable new behaviour, emotional stories and surprising heroes. Presented by Sir David Attenborough. Plants live secret, unseen lives. Using specialist cameras, this spectacular series allows us to travel beyond the power of the human eye, to look closer at their interconnected world, showcasing over two decades of new discoveries. From deserts, tropical jungles and underwater worlds to seasonal lands and our own urban environment, each episode introduces a set of plants, reveals the battles they face, and the ingenious ways they've found to survive.
We have made some changes to our privacy policy. You can read our updated policy here.
We use cookies on this website to enchance your user experience. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more information see our Privacy Policy.
