What is plant blindness?

Plant blindness is the phrase that refers to the cognitive bias and inability to notice or appreciate the plants in one’s surrounding environment.

The term blind blindness was coined by botanists Elizabeth Schussler and James Wandersee in 1999 and 2001 respectively.

If you clicked on this blog and you already know what plant blindness is, chances are you might not have it. However, if you have never heard of plant blindness before, it is extremely common and you might be affected.

Why do so many people have plant blindness?

The philosophy and psychology of plant blindness is fascinating.

People have more difficulty recognizing and recalling plant species than animal species. In part this is because we view plants as being inferior to animals in many ways. There are several factors that make plants “easy to miss” or “easy to forget”.

An underlying factor that makes plants so easy to disregard is their physical appearance. Most plants are some form of green (or mostly green). Plants are generally stationary and silent. This makes them blend together in the environment around us. Plants are also not typically a threat. For this reason, they don’t often catch our attention. Sometimes even larger flowers and fruits are missed because they can blend into the greenery around them.

It is in our nature to ignore plants. It’s not like anyone does it on purpose. However, there are good reasons why we should combat plant blindness. Plants are responsible for sustaining all life on earth, our atmosphere, and our entire way of life in society. Logically, plants deserve a great deal of recognition.

Recognizing plants can have other benefits as well. It adds more appreciation for nature. Think about all the times you see an animal and get excited, and imagine feeling that around plants too. Plant identification is essential for many fields: landscaping, ecology, conservation, veterinary and medicine (think eating toxic plants). The more knowledge and appreciation we have for plants, the more we are able to protect and sustain ourselves and our environment.

How do we reduce plant blindness?

The best way to reduce plant blindness is to learn about plants, and make an effort to see them around you. Start to recognize different plants and trees in your area. Take a closer look at the greenery to see what interesting features you can find about each plant. Then, begin to share the love and knowledge of plants with others. This is one of my main goals with my blog! To me the coolest thing about plants is that there is so much to learn and we can never know everything. We are constantly learning more.

Share something you appreciate about plants in the comments. And, if you want to start learning more about botany, check out my blog on the 7 most interesting branches of study in botany.