the Blaschkas, who had already established a thriving glassmaking business, Leopold, the elder Blaschka, had begun his career making costume jewelry, chandelier attachments, and other luxury goods. He even made glass eyes, both for human use and taxidermy. They used a process called lampworking or flameworking to craft their masterpieces. The collection is housed in a dedicated gallery at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Construction on a greenery-covered tower, designed by the Italian firm Stefano Boeri Architetti, will soon start in the Parisian suburb of Villiers-sur-Marne. On the outside, 2,000 trees, plants, and shrubs will fill the building's facade, roof, and balconies. Inside, the building will feature luxury apartments, offices, and retail.

Bet you've never seen fruits and veggies that look like these before.

The physics of dandelion dispersal could inspire windborne microdrones.

Cacao plants could disappear by 2050, so companies like Mars are teaming up with scientists to save them.

Living green walls may have gotten their start 80 years ago, but they’ve recently become some of the most striking and important eco-friendly features in buildings across the world.

A genetically engineered plant that detects landmines in soil by changing colour could prevent thousands of deaths and injuries by signalling where explosives are concealed.

Fans of Central America's olosapo also compare it to butterscotch.

Plants can be frozen in place with the same anesthetics used on you during surgery. It suggests they may be less different from animals than is often assumed.

This story was originally published by Atlas Obscura and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. From Plato to Polyphemus, caves have long been literary symbols of the mysterious and the unknown. And in the real world, they often live up to that reputation: underground rivers, weirdly preserved skeletons, rare bacteria that make them shine like gold.

A mutually beneficial relationship between birds and rare chili peppers shows how animals and plants work together.

Start your garden this weekend.

The tree is breathing new life in Colombia's northeastern Guajira region. Known to be widely adaptable, the guaimaro is drought-resistant but manmade activities like deforestation have decimated the bountiful tree, whose leaves and fruit have for centuries sustained animals and humans alike.

Able to survive temperatures as low as -40C, Saskatchewan’s prairie cherries are tarter than traditional sweet cherries and can be eaten straight from the tree.

One shot taken every 9m 36s, played at 30 FPS. Music by Strauss

Macro photos of South African seeds by photographer Dillon Marsh based in Cape Town.

A wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands has been discovered by scientists from Wageningen University & Research to be resistant to a wide range of pest insects. This variety is closely related to the cultivated tomato, making the resilience easier to interbreed into the latter and ultimately making it resistant to many different types of insects.

by Brian Johnston

Two years ago, a project to save rare cider apple varieties was introduced in the West Country. The National Trust began planting the cider apple saplings at its estates in Somerset, Gloucestershire and in North Somerset. A new orchard is being set up at Montacute which will eventually have 92 cider apple trees.