These palm-tree-inspired wind turbines are designed to bend in hurricanes. The design allows the turbines to be much larger than before—and that could cut the cost of wind power by 20%.

Meanwhile, think of a palm tree. They have no wide-spreading branches, rather huge leaves with a central, flexible spine – like enormous feathers, notes Metcalfe.

Also known as the Chinese windmill palm, the windmill palm tree (Trachycarpus fortunei) is one of the toughest trees you can try. Suitable for USDA zones 8-10, it benefits from being both cold ...

"The palm tree gets as much wind as all the other trees, but it knows how to bend, it knows how to flex," says Megan Kissinger, a wildlife artist and native Floridian who lives and paints palms in ...