Beautiful essay, William. Thank you for sharing it.

I remember watching a 60 Minutes piece, probably over 40 years ago, reporting on plants and communications and feelings as described in the research you cite. I specifically recall the machines registering increased waves in house plants when their owner returned from vacation, even before the owner entered the house.

I hug the apricot tree in the yard here. I feel a relationship with him/her. I'm hoping to enjoy bountiful fruit again this year. https://medium.com/weeds-wildflowers/a-poets-walk-among-weeds-and-wildflowers-f25bfdb75e7c I discuss the tree and our relationship that formed last year in the notes to that poem.