Herself’s Houston Garden

This time starts 3 million years ago and leads us into the age of humans. The world is still cooling at the start of this time, but that gives way to global warming. The world cools and the world warms several times in this period. Ice ages last about 100,000 years, followed by about 100,000 of global warming as the earth wobbles in its travels about the sun. The continents are pretty much where they are today.

Neaderthals appear about 250,000 years back. Homosapiens about 180,000 years ago. Our earliest cave paintings are about 30,000 years old, which is when our Neaderthals disappear, and the ice begins to retreat and continues to do so to this day.

The last ice age ends about 10,000 years ago. As the world warms the first farms appear about 6500 years after ago.

Flowering seed bearing plants are spreading rapidly. At 30 million years back herbaceous plants with flowers show up. They can better handle changing seasons.

Pine trees, grape vines, oaks and spruces are spreading.

Insects and plants are co-evolving together. Our first nectar eating birds and bats appear. Plants that were fertilized by wind give way to insect fertilizing plants. Some grasses and trees revert back to wind fertilization.

See also:
Milankovitch Cycles and Glaciation

While the planet certainly does not lack in water, it does lack in fresh water in useful places. In time we will be desalinizes and piping water where ever we need it. In the meantime researchers are developing plants that can handle drier climates.

A part of the global food crisis is the inefficiency of current irrigation methods. More irrigated water evaporates than reaches the roots of crops, amounting to an enormous waste of water and energy.

Tel Aviv University researchers, however, are investigating a new solution that turns the problem upside-down, getting to the root of the issue. They are genetically modifying plants’ root systems to improve their ability to find the water essential to their survival. [ read more Genetically Modified Root Systems Result In Plants That Survive With Little Water]

On an up note, if global warming is really happening, the climate should get wetter as it gets warmer, perhaps negating the need for any of this. But why wait?

This period begins about 65 million years ago and ends about 3 million years back. The continents continue to spread. Mammals continue to grow in size and number and diversity. Birds are flourishing. The world is warm and humid as far north as what is now the Arctic sea.

Palms, laurels, vines, citrus plants are flourishing. We have oaks and beeches. Our water lilies are again doing well.

But like most periods the climate changes. Warm weather gives way to colder weather. Ice sheets form at the poles dropping down the level of the ocean. Tropical jungles are retreating and temperate forests of oaks and maples are gaining ground.

Our first plains and prairies appear soon followed by our first grasses. Not long after grass eating mammals appear. This era is the age of grasses.

Now the world gets drier, forests begin to decline like the jungles did a bit earlier. The world is both colder and drier and grasses take this opportunity to expand out.

The Creaceous period lasts from 142 to 65 million years ago. This is the time when most of today’s oil is formed. The last of the dinosaurs are giving way to mammals, insects and birds. The continents are continuing to move away from each other.

The differing climates and greater distance between continents is giving us a more diverse world. Plants and animals become more diverse in this time.

Magnolia trees and other early flowering plants appear and spread forth. The first flowering plants were weedy like plants with tiny flowers on tall stalks. Some think our first flowering plant arrives in this time, the Archaefructus at about 125 million years back.

The flowering plants have evolved from the seed ferns and start to move slowly out into the world. In time they will make up 90% of plant species. They begin at the waters edges and at the edges forested areas in a world that is dry and harsh. They will eventually gain a foothold in the tropical areas too.

During this time the leaves of the plants make a huge leap forward. The veins become regular there are no more haphazardly veined leaves. This makes the leaves stronger and better able to handle wind.

Flowering plants and insects begin their symbiotic arrangements. Plants gain colors besides green in order to attract insects. Bees and butterflies are with us now.

At the end of this time the world again cools and volcanic activity makes the world a harsh place. A large meteor strikes Mexico adding to the hostility of the environment. A few ferns survive, most everything else is wiped out.