Plants "Calls in Sick" to Avoid Lunch

Now for a story that's obscure yet entertaining, minute but informing. Here we have exotic plants that fools hungry critters into thinking they're sick, thus avoiding becoming lunch. Read below to learn of its trickery (link):

Found in the rain forests of Ecuador these sick-looking plants appear to have already been attacked. As a rule of (green) thumb, plants that compromise their ability to transform sunlight into energy via photosynthesis die out. However, in this case the survivors seem to be those that sacrifice light-harvesting capacity for a clever camouflaged appearance.

Typically, the top predator of this particular plant lays its eggs on the leaves , which in turn hatch into larvae that leave a trail of white behind as they feast on the leaves. By displaying a white pattern from the outset, however, these plants look already-inhabited and thus further egg-laying moths are deterred from laying their own offspring.

Nice trick. It would be nice if that worked for humans, but instead, we have hangovers.

- Brewskie