One of the most exciting aspects of being a botanist is discovering new species and understanding how plants interact with one another and with the ecosystem at large. I often find myself fascinated by the symbiotic relationships that exist between plants and other organisms, like the mutualistic partnerships between flowers and pollinators or the way certain plants can share nutrients through underground fungal networks. These interactions show just how interconnected life is, and how important plants are not only for their own survival but for the survival of entire ecosystems.