"Mint Evolution," by David Kerber.
"All around me, butterflies swarmed the pinpoint lavender blooms of wild mint, pollinating. Natural selection has paired these particular butterflies with this wild mint, and a system of trade seems to occur. Currently, no competitor species of plant appears to steal these butterflies away. What would happen, I wondered, if a species of plant bloomed at the same time of year, invaded the mint's home, and attracted these butterflies? Would mint decline or go extinct? Or would it evolve into a new species better able to compete? What I discovered is that a genetic trait already exists that would permit a new and distinct species to come entirely from within wild mint."
(Broadcast: Fieldnotes, 9/14/14 & 9/15/14)
