Nature Sees To It That Seeds Get Around

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - You can blame it on the wind, that's true. And you can also credit the dog and the cat. Plus the hopping bunnies, the happy birds, the deer who come tromping through, the foxes who wander by, along with the squirrels and the chipmunks.

If you wonder how something sprouts in your yard when you didn't plant it, it's because Nature designed important parts of plants to be so portable. Animals eat fruit and nuts and after digesting them, deposit the seeds wherever they happen to be! So if they carry cherries to a pine tree in your yard, then drop the seeds below, you'll find cherry trees sprouting in that spot.

But also, watch how many seeds your dog or cat can collect on their coat or you collect on your clothes wandering through your neighborhood. Seeds are designed to catch a ride on what's passing by. It's just one more way Nature gives plants a chance to reproduce all over the place – whether you really want another few thousand dandelions in your yard or not.