Thank you sir, that is exactly what I was looking for. It was kind of you to help me. With your hint, I also found the terms "late seral" and "late-successional". Since wikipedia lacks separate articles for any of those, I will create one for "climax species".

Maybe (3b)...Which species experiences more variation and has experienced more change in its flowering time? This question would allow you to address differences related to climate, climate change, mutation/evolution, and many other factors. It would give you a basis to review flowering time variation in a broad way. For me, investigating the various drivers of changes in flowering times is much more interesting than reviews of the limited aspects suggested by choices 1 through 3. Your choice 1, for example, almost seems more like an attempt to look at climate change, or some other factor, than something really related to flowering times (at least that's how it hits me). Choice 2 is OK, but it makes me wonder why you chose only those two factors. Choice 3 seems more like a question for the botanical version of Guinness.

Pennyroyal1961, I noticed you're new to Gardenweb. Welcome and I hope you find it to be a helpful and fun place. I don't have any answer to your bee question, but would like to offer three suggestions: 1) Please start your own thread when asking questions not directly related to the original post. There are many reasons for this including: a) It's very confusing when someone starts there own conversation within another conversation. b) The original poster is now getting responses to your post emailed to them, clogging up their email with answers to your question. c) You are not getting the answers emailed to you because your question is in another thread. d) It is much harder to find information when searching for information when threads have multiple topics intermixed. 2) Try to post your questions to relevant forums. For instance you could post your question above to the Bees & Beekeeping Forum (linked below). 3) Don't type in all caps. It is considered rude and/or shouting by many. Here is a link that might be useful: Bees & Beekeeping Forum

First, I disagree with all the pessimism about careers in botany. I agree that botany is a somewhat generic term that can encompass a wide range of knowledge and skill sets. But that's the great thing about a botany degree - it can send you off a number of different paths where you can gain more experience to improve your qualifications. Botany majors can work in a wide variety of jobs ranging from positions in agriculture, horticulture, plant science research, biotechnology, conservation, environmental education and others. In agriculture, botanists are in pretty high demand in lab settings with large agribusinesses like Monsanto to work in the development of seeds and other plant products. In horticulture and agriculture, botany majors can also work in field settings in the propagation and management of plants. There are also a large number of entry-level lab technician jobs working for researchers in institutional settings - primarily academic settings. And if you're willing to pursue an advanced degree, you can work as a lead researcher. There are also a lot of botany jobs doing environmental education - from entry level naturalist jobs working with camps and school groups to more advanced jobs working in a formal school or institutional setting. In conservation, botanists are in super high demand with consulting firms doing plant survey and wetland delineations to help clients get permits for construction projects. Botanists are also employed by government agencies and non-profits working to protect important ecological areas. Really, botany is a great major for working in a wide variety of industries because it involves a highly specialized knowledge set that is in demand. I agree that the pay may not be as high as engineering, medicine, or other science-based professionals. But as you move up the ladder, you can definitely earn over $100K /year - especially in the private sector but also if you have an advanced degree and you work in an academic setting or you work for a government agency. To get more information, I would recommend looking at botany job boards to see firsthand the botany jobs that are being advertised by employers. For example see botany jobs here and see more examples here. Another valuable step is to follow up with botanists in different industries to set up informational interviews. They might even let you watch them for a couple of hours on the job. This will give a you a great sense of what botanists actually do in different industries and will give you a better idea of where you would be happiest working.