Plants initiate flowering in response to a number of reliable environmental cues. A great deal is known about the genes that promote flowering in model and agronomic species under controlled laboratory conditions. The genetic architecture of this ecologically-relevant trait is poorly understood in natural populations of non-model organisms. Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae), occurs in undisturbed natural populations throughout the western United States. Dr. Anderson conducted complementary field and growth chamber experiments with B. stricta to investigate the evolutionary ecology of flowering time, and ultimately dissect the genetic basis of local adaptation.