Plants are sensitive to changing climates and are vulnerable to environmental conditions. In many regions, climate change is shifting temperatures and precipitation patterns, both of which affect various traits in living organisms, including those linked to survival and reproduction. Understanding how plants respond to climate change is increasingly important for conservation efforts. We addressed sources of trait variation and the responses utilized to cope with changing conditions within and among plant species in three different studies. We found evidence of local adaptation in temperature tolerance presumably due to divergent selection across geographic distance in Solanum carolinense. In the same species, we found phenotypic plasticity in reproductive traits when exposed to heat. Lastly, we determined that flowering phenology is driven by temperature in tallgrass prairie herbs rather than winter precipitation. These studies provide examples of how plant species are vulnerable to changing temperatures but have the capacity to adapt or acclimate.