Younger botanists are attracted to the coyly named touch-me-not. The whole point is to touch it — upon which the green seed capsule explodes amid shooting seeds and startled shrieks. Marlene Nowak introduces granddaughter Sara to the surprise enjoyed by Potawatomi children for thousands of years in an earlier wilderness. Photo by Joe Nowak.

Eastern tailed blue butterfly on a woodland sunflower. The plants and butterflies of North America’s woods and prairies evolved together over millions of years. Restoration and conservation are to save them — and their relationships. Photo by Tom Holmes.