The Bulbs Say It's Too Warm
A late December trip to Kentucky showed Crocus and early Narcissus blooming two months earlier than expected. In mid-January, I observed a Wilmington, Delaware lawn awash with pretty pink Crocus tommasinianus, which usually appear in early March. My snowdrops, which normally bloom in late February or early March, have been blooming since mid-January and bulb foliage is popping up everywhere. And the bulbs aren't alone. Just last week a friend walking through a Maryland field found a chilly, confused toad slowly hopping along, our yard is filled with twittering robins, and bees are buzzing around searching for flowers to pollinate. WTF!?
Wayward blooming bulbs.
Two outcomes are possible in this scenario and neither are good. Either the weather's being tricksy and plans to descend with arctic blasts in February and March, thus killing everything biologically inept enough to break bud or hibernation (plants and insects alike), or it's just going to just stay warm and that's not good either.
Lots of plants need significant chill for specific periods of time to flower and produce fruit, particularly fruit producing trees and vines, which means yields could be impacted. Many weeds, pests and diseases will proliferate because fewer will be killed by the cold and longer warm periods mean time for more insect and weed life- cycles. A recent Cornell University article by Craig Cramer titled, Will Warm Weather Wither Plants?, gives an excellent overview of possible impacts on plants.
Biologists project that the warm winter weather will also mean more pesky rodents, ticks, ants, mosquitoes and other bothersome creatures. Oh goody! That means more money spent on products to keep these critters at bay. Expect the repellant, pesticide and pest control industries to thrive.
At this stage, I am hoping for a sharp decline in temperatures and heavy snow. The cold will help manage populations of unwanted creatures and maintain needed dormancy in lots of plants, and the snow will insulate ground-dwelling plants that have already begun to spring forth. Trees and shrubs that have broken bud would suffer, as would all the robins and wayward amphibians, but it's a small price to pay. Bring on the cold. Please!
Wayward blooming bulbs.
Two outcomes are possible in this scenario and neither are good. Either the weather's being tricksy and plans to descend with arctic blasts in February and March, thus killing everything biologically inept enough to break bud or hibernation (plants and insects alike), or it's just going to just stay warm and that's not good either.
Lots of plants need significant chill for specific periods of time to flower and produce fruit, particularly fruit producing trees and vines, which means yields could be impacted. Many weeds, pests and diseases will proliferate because fewer will be killed by the cold and longer warm periods mean time for more insect and weed life- cycles. A recent Cornell University article by Craig Cramer titled, Will Warm Weather Wither Plants?, gives an excellent overview of possible impacts on plants.
Biologists project that the warm winter weather will also mean more pesky rodents, ticks, ants, mosquitoes and other bothersome creatures. Oh goody! That means more money spent on products to keep these critters at bay. Expect the repellant, pesticide and pest control industries to thrive.
At this stage, I am hoping for a sharp decline in temperatures and heavy snow. The cold will help manage populations of unwanted creatures and maintain needed dormancy in lots of plants, and the snow will insulate ground-dwelling plants that have already begun to spring forth. Trees and shrubs that have broken bud would suffer, as would all the robins and wayward amphibians, but it's a small price to pay. Bring on the cold. Please!
TY for this blog. The ants and ticks have been bad enough in the last two years. Give me a little more winter any day.
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