An Unlikely Outdoor Plant Lesson

As I was lamenting the last scrap of summer one night, I noticed something about a flower sitting on my porch in a flower pot. Surely flowers don’t sleep! I waited and checked another night and sure enough, the Gerber daisy looked as if it was asleep for the evening, yet wide open during the day. A quick internet search revealed that the flowers close at nigh for protection and to preserve moisture. They open wide during the day for polination. Who knew?! What a great puzzlement to present to your class. Why does the flower sleep?