An Israeli research team has established that plants, when stressed, can emit popping and clicking sounds. These sounds are at too high a frequency for humans to detect but the team believes that other animals and insects may be able to hear the sounds.

For example, when plants are dehydrated or have their stems cut they may complain by emitting stress-sounds.

God knows what sound plants emit when they are being feasted on by a plague of locusts?

So it turns out that King Charles was most likely right when he claimed in 1986 that talking to plants helps them to grow and every plant is part of a 'wood-wide-web'. Even BBC cyborg presenter Sir David Attenborg claimed that: 'We don't engage with plants enough'. A comment that triggered a rash of NHS admissions of men with their penises caught in Venus fly-traps.

This also explains a mysterious incident recorded in Texas when a mass of ants appeared to be line-dancing in front of a crop of tobacco plants. Local 'redneck' Texans were derided when they claimed to hear very faint 'yee-haws' coming from the plants that were well-watered and enjoying the sun. Turns out they were right too.

A US team is currently investigating claims that 'plants-in-the-hood' of the leafy Los Angeles suburb of Compton are emitting sounds similar to rap music as local insects are exhibiting strange behaviour patterns that involve male spiders strutting around in 'pimp-my-ride' style before being eaten by females.