Plants are vital to our existence on earth. They are the backbone of any habitat – providing, food, shelter, medicines, and the air we breathe. It’s easy to forget that they are living organisms that struggle against many of the same pressures as us, such battling viruses and avoiding predators.  Lacking an immune system and the ability to walk away from trouble, plants have adapted a variety of mechanisms to overcome these obstacles.  In this talk, we will explore the diverse ways that plants cope with pathogens and predators–and how some of them are important to humans for agriculture and medicine.