{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"2022 Archive of RENATURED, Marina Zurkow's Research Blog","provider_url":"https:\/\/o-matic.com\/blog-archive-2022","author_name":"Marina","author_url":"https:\/\/o-matic.com\/blog-archive-2022\/blog\/author\/admin\/","title":"A flower clock","html":"NY Time' guest columnist\u00a0 Leon Kreitzman<\/a> writing for Olivia Judson's The Wild Side<\/a>, <\/a>wrote in April about bees' ability to tell the time of day and harvest pollen accordingly\r\n<\/a>\r\n
In \u201cPhilosophia Botanica\u201d<\/a> (1751), the great taxonomist Carl Linnaeus proposed that it should be possible to plant a floral clock. He noted that two species of daisy, the hawk\u2019s-beard and the hawkbit, opened and closed at their respective times within about a half-hour each day. He suggested planting these daisies along with St. John\u2019s Wort, marigolds, water-lilies and other species in a circle. The rhythmic opening and closing of the plants would be the effective hands of this clock.<\/blockquote>\r\nHere<\/a>'s a suggested collection of plants to use, which would open in sequence over time.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" caption=\"Horologium Flore, via Whispering Crane Institute\"]\"Horologium<\/a>[\/caption]\r\n\r\nI'm staying at the sculptor Julia Barton<\/a>'s beautiful house in a hamlet called Donkleywood in Northumberland National Park, surrounded by sheep fields. It's raining out, and her garden is sparkling. Swallows are absailing in and out of the eaves.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Julia Barton's garden\"]\"Julia<\/a>[\/caption]","type":"rich"}