Scientists worry that plants’ responses to climate change will be chaotic. New research by Karen Rice and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, shows that a warming planet will be a less predictable planet. Their research simulated possible future climates by raising temperature and changing watering for five species. They found that plants could advance or delay in blooming as the weather patterns shift.

The research is the latest in the field of phenology, the study of the timing of natural responses to the seasons. Things like, the first bud of a plant, or the emergence of insects after the winter. Phenology is a useful topic to study if you want a peek into what the future might be like due to climate change. By watching for events like the first leaf or first bloom, you can see if the seasons are advancing, or lingering.

Rather than waiting for climate to change and seeing what the resulting mess is, Karen Rice and colleagues decided to peek into the future. The University of Minnesota has a project in the north of the state, Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger (B4WarmED). The plots in Cloquet, just outside of Duluth, and Ely, just outside Canada, have plots that can be artificially warmed. Infrared lamps can heat plants from above and resistance cables, buried in the soil, warm from below.