The Gardens on Spring Creek

As I'm sitting here in the office avoiding gardening on a 102°F afternoon, I'm forever thankful I'm a human. Among the finest of human inventions is air conditioning, but what can plants do to tough out extreme temperatures? It's not like they can flick a switch for central air or even move into the shade. No, they're stuck where they're rooted, but just as humans have sweat, mobility, and cold drinks, some plants have developed a fascinating array of adaptations that keep them from withering to a crisp under that unforgiving sun.  The name of the game in hot, dry climates is water conservation. On a basic level, plants breathe by opening pores in their tissues called stomata. Whenever a stoma opens to take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen as waste , water vapor follows th e oxygen and desiccates the plant. Many plants in arid regions have evolved to use a form of photosynthesis called Crassulacean acid me t abolism ( CAM) to manage this . Named after...