Even though students see plants all around them, they tend to ignore them. Animal studies usually get all the "press." As a naturalist, children's book author, and coordinator for an educational science website for teachers, the author knows from personal experience that observing and charting plant growth can be as intriguing as observing animals. Here she shares a simple but thought-provoking activity that teachers can use with fifth- and sixth-grades students: plant research plots. As students monitor the plant growth in one-meter plots over a period of six weeks, they practice science-process skills while learning about plant life cycles and how plants compete with each other. (Contains 2 figures.)