Today is National Cereal Day in the USA, and to be honest, an excuse to sell sugary foods rather than celebrate cereals. This is a pity as cereals are staggeringly important plants. According to Poutanen et al. (2022), "Cereal grains contribute about 50% of dietary energy globally, and the contribution is higher in developing countries."
Depending on your view of civilisation, it was humanity's changing relationship with cereals where everything started going right / wrong. Around the world the switch to farming was tied to growing cereals: rice and millet in eastern Asia, wheat and other cereals in the Middle East, sorghum and other cereals in Africa, and maize in the Americas.
In a comment (now sadly lost in various social media upheavals so I may be forgetting some nuance) James Wong commented that while humans are omnivorous, it's not a huge stretch to say they're largely graminivorous.
How to Play
Six plants fill each row
each column, each box of six
no bloom may repeat
Tap an empty cell
then choose your plant from below
watch the garden grow
Or pick a plant first
then tap the cells where it goes
faster hands plant more
Red borders will warn
when two alike share a line
rethink and replant
Ticked plants rest complete
all six placed in rightful soil
fewer choices left
The clock starts to run
the moment your first plant falls
how swift is your hand?
Select a plant, then tap cells
Two ways to play: Tap an empty cell then pick a plant, or select a plant below then tap cells to place it.
Cover image: Triticum aestivum by Brandon Johnson / iNaturalist CC-BY
