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Plant physiology
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May 11, 2026
What Rhododendrons Know About Their Environment
As our world begins to warm, scientists are looking for early detection systems that will tell us what’s already being affected and help us predict what’s to come. Plants have...
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May 4, 2026
How Much Sun Is Too Much Sun?
Have you ever noticed a plant whose leaves were turning red or purple, especially in a particularly sunny spot? The plant may be making the red pigment you see to...
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May 24, 2024
Meet the Future of Rhododendron Research
Members of the Medeiros Lab in the Holden research department organized an Early Career Researcher Mini-Conference and research poster session at the American Rhododendron Society Annual Convention which took place...
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December 6, 2023
Snow and Dormancy: A Delicate Balance Threatened By Climate Change
As winter blankets the world in a pristine layer of snow, a silent transformation takes place in the natural world. Snow cover and dormancy are interconnected elements in the delicate...
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November 29, 2023
Rhododendron minus: A colorful mystery wrapped in a riddle
Rhododendron minus is a woody evergreen shrub native to the southeastern United States, with a range that extends from North Carolina and Tennessee south into Georgia and Alabama. Across this...
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November 8, 2023
Holden Researchers Uncover How a Resilient Tree Acclimates to Stressful Environments
The eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a hardy tree native to the eastern U.S. But lately it’s been encroaching on ecosystems out West — could its physiology be the...
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December 8, 2022
The Sweet Side of Winter: Carbohydrate Dynamics during Cold Acclimation
By Samuel Harbol, Norweb Fellow Deciduous plants such as maple trees lose their leaves in winter, and this helps them to survive cold temperatures, but what about our evergreen friends,...
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October 18, 2022
Winterizing the Rose Beds
It has been quite the productive season in the Swetland Rose Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens! Out went the old roses, and in went the new. Perennials and bulbs...
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April 25, 2022
It’s the Tree’s Knees
If you’ve recently visited the Arboretum, you may have noticed what appears, at first glance, to be a flash-mob of squirrels convening around Blueberry Pond. Thanks to some winter rejuvenation...
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April 7, 2022
Behind-the-Scenes Spring Phenology Monitoring
By Emma Dawson-Glass, Research Specialist Spring is underway here in Northeast Ohio, meaning it’s time for the Stuble lab and our team of wonderful volunteers to get out in Bole...
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February 10, 2022
Thinking About Annual Plants in the Winter
Right now, as I write this at nearly the end of January, there is over a foot of snow on the ground. To keep my spirits lifted, the early months...
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August 23, 2021
What is in a Plant Physiologist’s Toolkit?: Measuring Photosynthesis
If you are a plant lover, chances are you often find yourself thinking about photosynthesis in some way. You may move a house plant to a bright window so that...
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August 13, 2021
Climate Change and Earlier Springs – How Are Plants Responding Around the World?
Climate change is shifting the timing of many seasonal events in our natural world. When do the roses bloom in your garden? When will you see your first hummingbird? When...
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May 7, 2021
Conifer trait study using multiple arboreta as common gardens
Randy Long, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar We are excited to announce a new project using the conifer collection at the Holden Arboretum led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Randy Long. He is...
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March 3, 2021
Intro to Phenology
Phenology is the study of connections between plant and animal life cycles through the seasons. Learn more by viewing the presentation.
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January 22, 2021
The Life Beneath the Snow
The month of January, with its freezing temperatures and leaf-less trees, is a time when it’s easy to think of nature as dormant. While this might be true for deciduous...
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January 20, 2021
Why Leaves Change Color
This is an age old question that many teachers are asked, and it can be a starting point of a number of important lessons. The beautiful leaves of fall are...
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January 20, 2021
Water Movement in Trees
Water movement in deciduous trees increases before the leaves and flowers emerge in the early spring. This is the perfect time of year to observe and learn about the processes...
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