The jimson weed plant, datura wrightii, grows in arid regions of the southwestern u. s. and mexico. there are two phenotypes of this plant, one with sticky trichomes (hair-like structures) on its leaves and one with velvety smooth leaves. in an effort to understand if there is an advantage to having sticky leaves—if the sticky leaf plants were better protected from herbivores—scientists grew both types of the plant in a greenhouse from seed. after three weeks, they transplanted the plants to an outdoor experimental garden and sprayed some of each type of plant (sticky and velvety) with insecticide to deter herbivores and left ot