From Seed to Flower: A Plant's Life Cycle

Hey there, gardener! My name is Lumi, and today we are going on a journey around the plant life cycle — a journey that never really ends. It all starts with a tiny seed. Inside every seed is a baby plant and a little package of food to help it get started. When the seed lands in soil and gets water and warmth from the soil and air around it, it wakes up and begins to grow. This is called germination — and here is something surprising: a seed does not even need sunlight to germinate! Seeds can sprout on a wet paper towel because all they truly need is water and warmth to start the chemical reactions inside. A root pushes down to drink water, and a green shoot pushes up toward the light. Now we have a seedling! The seedling keeps growing, drinking water through its roots and soaking up sunlight with its leaves to make food. This is called photosynthesis — the plant is like a little food factory powered by sunlight. Over time, the seedling becomes a full-grown adult plant. Now here comes the exciting part: the adult plant grows flowers. Flowers have a very important job — they help the plant make seeds. Tiny grains called pollen travel from flower to flower, often carried by bees or the wind. When pollen reaches the right part of a flower, seeds begin to form inside. The plant has now become a seed producer. When the seeds are ready, they scatter — carried by wind, animals, or water. Each seed that lands in a good spot can start the whole journey again. That is why we call it a life cycle: seed → seedling → adult plant → seed producer → and back to seed again!