How do lookalike plants ‘know’ what to look like to avoid being eaten?

Question

There are nettles, and there are false nettles that look very similar to nettles when not in flower. Given that the plants can’t see each other to imitate, how did the false (non-harmful) plant develop to be so visually similar to the harmful one?

In: Biology

Answer 1

They don’t know, they just evolved that way over time as plants that look like nettles don’t get eaten so much. The same reason giraffes that have longer necks can reach the higher leaves on the trees are less likely to starve, so they are therefore more likely to continue propagating their species.