When flowers ran warm

A close-up shot of a single pink cactus flower blooming on a spiky cactus stem against a dark background.

Warm flowers

Flowers can run warmer than the surrounding air. Cooke reports a cactus at +3°F and geraniums as much as +6°F. 🌸

Close-up view of a purple thistle flower head showing the dense cluster of florets.

Warm flowers

Cooke says greater heat was detected in crowded composite flower heads: about +1.5°F in cotton-thistle and +2.4°F in Anthemis chrysoleuca. 🌼

Warm flowers

For Victoria regia, the giant water lily, Cooke reports 105.1°F in the flower and 72.5°F in the air: about +33°F. 🌺

Warm flowers

That extraordinary Victoria regia result, Cooke wrote, was nearly inexplicable if accurate and needed corroboration. His report is striking, not settled explanation. 🌿

When flowers ran warm

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