Since I'm really bad at keeping plants alive (unless they're the plastic kind), I couldn't find the clue 'Plant Life' in today's NYT Mini Crossword.

This clue is on five rows of the August 12 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle. If you are not that good with plants or not that familiar with plant life, this clue is not going to be easy. That is why you are here and I have added hints and the answer below.

The answer to the clue "Plant life" is "FLORA". It's not often that I go all out on a word, but the word flora has its origins in Roman mythology. The Roman goddess of spring and flowers was named Flora, and in Latin flora means flower. So it's rather fitting that it's used to describe the life of plants, fungi, and bacteria.

The clue "plant life" was ambiguous because it's hard to tell if the clue referred to a specific type of plant or a category. Both options have numerous answers. It wasn't until I solved a few of the other clues that I realized the answer, as it's tied to the commonly used phrase "flora and fauna." While it wasn't impossible to solve, it certainly had its challenges. So I'd give it a difficulty rating of four out of five.