Spur flowers have more than one line of defense. In addition to their layer of leaf hairs, the essential oils of this plant may repel insects and stop them from laying their eggs on its leaves.

This plant has leaves that grow opposite from one another. By looking closely at features like flower shape and structures, leaf symmetry, and serrated edges, botanists can tell that the spur flower is in the mint family.

This area shows damage to the leaf. It may have been caused by dryness, or an insect may have managed to get past the spur flower’s defenses.

These orange glands only grow on the undersides of this plant’s leaves. The top and bottom surfaces of a leaf often aren’t the same; they get different exposure, and they have different roles to play for the plant.

“Plant hairs can defend against attack. If the tiny hairs are stiff enough, they can pierce an insect’s body. Or the hairs can help make a leaf ‘sticky.’ Insects will get caught on the leaf, like these fibers did.”

The spur flower’s fuzzy appearance is due to tiny plant hairs, called trichromes. These hairs can deter predators, block excessive light, and cut down on water lost to wind.

“The thick, juicy leaves of this plant indicate that it grows in sunny, dry areas. Succulent leaves like this store moisture for the plant and provide insulation for the plant’s tissues.”

Many insects have compound eyes and a set of simple eyes called ocelli. It’s unclear how these animals use their ocelli, but these structures may allow flying insects to maintain equilibrium as they pitch and roll in flight.

A male damselfly uses the appendages on the tip of its long abdomen to grasp onto a female’s thorax. The female then swings her abdomen forward; mating for damselflies requires near acrobatic flexibility by both partners.

During his courtship routine, a colorful male flies beneath a dull-colored female. He flaps his front wings, but keeps his hindwings motionless, spreading them out like brilliant banners for the female to see.