I'm going to tell you a little bit about how in nature, some unexpected creatures are pulling the strings. It's easy to think plants are dull, and that they don't lead the exciting, dangerous lives that animals do. They seem almost in permanent hibernation, growing slowly, and flinging out seeds every now and then. Actually, there's a lot more to plants than that. If we could live at their slow pace, we could see that their world is full of leisurely strangulations, hired killers, and lethal battles for access to sunlight.
Corn is a good example.
These are designed to be smellable over long distances, so that they can be recognized by a particular species of wasp. The wasp comes along, stings the caterpillar and paralyzes it. It then buries its prey alive, and lays eggs in it. It's one of the most horrible fates in nature - the caterpillar gets buried alive, and when the eggs hatch, it'll be eaten alive from the inside out. The wasp and the caterpillar aren't the only active parties in this situation.