Flowers of the future

A new research project, Plant Futures, envisions how a flower might respond to climate change over time. The Circaea alpina flower is modeled in software and its features transform algorithmically, according to how each is influenced by the changing climate data year by year. Flowers play a key role in most landscapes, from urban to rural areas. There might be dandelions poking through the cracks in the pavement, wildflowers on the highway median, or poppies covering a hillside. We might notice the time of year they bloom and connect that to our changing climate. Perhaps we are familiar with their cycles: bud, bloom, wilt, seed.