How Plants Worked….A Look Back at 2015 – January

Clear Rear View (CC BY 2.0) by Beatrice Murch

From Climate Change to Plant Facebook

Beginning in January 2013, I’ve started the new year here at the How Plants Work blog by taking a look back at the previous year’s plant-related news from my HPW Twitter feed and sharing a few of the “tastier” tidbits, month-by-month.

Since I still find this kind of fun and interesting (and also because it’s currently cold and frosty outside in the Pacific northwest), let me carry on the tradition….

…I’ve grabbed a hot cup of coffee, so I’m ready to peruse the plant news from January 2015…

The effects of climate change on plants was, not surprisingly, a frequent topic of the botany news in 2015, including in January:

Early Flowering:
Unusual number of UK flowers bloom – Botanists were stunned by the results of their annual hunt for plants in flower on New Year’s Day 2015.

Crop Production: When it comes to variations in crop yield, climate has a big say and Global warming may markedly reduce wheat production.

Forests: Warming climate likely will change the composition of northern forests and Warmer, drier climate altering forests in California.

Plant Climate Adaptation – Supercomputing the evolution of a model flower.

Is Sex Necessary? – Yes, if plants want to avoid harmful mutations: Sex and the single evening primrose.

And just for fun:

Pitcher plants ‘switch off’ traps to capture more ants.

This crazy living wall with 1,682 plants has a hidden message.

Is this the Facebook of plant science?

To be continued….