Where Are Henry David Thoreau's Plants Now?
Blue Flag Iris The first flowering dates of larger blue flag (Iris versicolor) were highly correlated with changes in temperature in Concord. The flowering date of this species may provide a good indicator of biotic responses to climate change. A. J. Miller-Rushing and R. B. PrimackA literary-scientific project tracks the change in New England plantlife from Thoreau's journals to today It is astonishing how soon and unexpectedly flowers appear, when the fields are scarcely tinged with green. Yesterday, for instance, you observed only the radical leaves of some plants; to-day you pluck a flower. -Henry David Thoreau In science as in anything else, history and tradition can be powerful teachers. So here's a vivid lesson: Today, flowers and trees are awakening much earlier than they did 150 years ago, and there's proof in the journals of Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, best known for authoring "Walden," was a prolific chronicler and admirer of nature....