Lessons from Plants SM resized crop
Shawndra reading Lessons from Plants
Shawndra’s Book Rec: Lessons from Plants
Written By: Shawndra Miller
Date Published: February 24, 2025
Shawndra Miller
Part 7 of our winter “Staff Picks” series
Plants make choices. They network and communicate, compete and collaborate. They assess risks and allocate their energies accordingly. They alter their behavior and morphology according to environmental cues. They even spread the word about threats to kin and non-kin alike.
Plant biologist Beronda Montgomery explores all of this in fascinating detail in Lessons from Plants. In six dynamic chapters, the book reveals the extraordinary lives of plants. The author extrapolates their resilience into insightful teachings.
Dr. Montgomery’s passion for nurturing the next generation and uplifting marginalized communities shines throughout the book. If the insights in Lessons are any indication, her mentoring is grounded in deep reflection and scientific understanding. In tribute to her work, Cell journal listed her as one of 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America in 2020.
Dr. Montgomery urges readers to overcome what she calls “plant bias”—the tendency to overlook plants and their unsung abilities. Humans tend to be oblivious to the incredible beings living nearby, sometimes right under our feet. To counter this, she shares scientific findings, offering the latest data on how plants perceive, respond to, and alter their worlds.
The book’s six chapters each focus on a key aspect of plant behavior and its relevance to human life. Each chapter closes with Dr. Montgomery’s insightful reflections on how plant behavior holds a lesson for humans—embracing resilience in the face of adversity, sharing resources, nurturing diversity, and more.
Native plant lovers will enjoy gaining molecular-level knowledge of these organisms’ capabilities. For example, Dr. Montgomery discusses how plants communicate with one another through chemical signaling and symbiotic relationships. Volatile organic compounds are “a form of language” that transmit information. The communication occurs not just within species, but to different species, and even to other groups like bacteria and insects.
Beronda Montgomery, PhD
Dr. Montgomery also considers the interrelatedness of mycorrhizal fungi and plants. What might this model for humanity? She advocates creating diverse support networks in the human community. She notes that individuals fare better in a diverse environment than they do individually or with others similar to themselves.
In one of the most intriguing passages, she describes pioneer plants, the first plants to grow in a barren environment. These are the hardy sprouts that take hold in sidewalks, cliff edges, and even hardened lava. They are able to “track trace moisture in the most minute of cracks” and grow in a medium with extremely limited nutrients.
But many of them can actually increase the availability of nutrients. They do this by either forming relationships with beneficial bacteria or fungi, or by excreting compounds to make nutrients more soluble. As they take hold, they prepare the way for the second wave of succession plants. They actively alter the pH of the soil, while increasing soil stability and reducing the impact of damaging winds.
The author argues that similar skills are required to promote positive change in human environments. By emulating these scrappy plants, committed leaders can push through obstacles, creating change often with minimal resources. These changemakers’ work—typically requiring “an initial period of disruption”—can change the space to support the next wave of change agents, who can go on to sustain more systemic transformation.
Lessons from Plants is an illuminating book offering a fresh perspective on the plant kingdom, as well as a call to action for attending more closely to our plant kin. Line drawings and quotes open each chapter with an artful, poetic meditation. Beronda Montgomery’s passion for her subject matter shines through, making this a thought-provoking read for nature enthusiasts and native plant aficionados.
A version of this article first appeared in the Indiana Native Plant Society’s Journal.
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Vice Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Specialist
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
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