Warmer weather means Spring is on the way! However, this year, it’s a little behind schedule.
Have you taken a walk through the park recently on one of these warm days?
Look around – and you’ll notice – most trees are still gray and dull – with few signs of awakening.
Why? Well, It’s a combination of things.
During the winter months, the trees go dormant as days get shorter, precipitation decreases, and temperatures get cooler. Many trees develop a hardened bud that protects the tissues underneath from the impacts of winter weather.
With our Fall nights getting warmer thanks to climate change, there is growing concern that we will not have enough cool nights to tell the trees to become dormant in the future.
The longer days and increased temps in Spring tell the trees it’s time to wake up.
The Spring Leaf Index based on the leaf out of lilacs and honeysuckles, which are among the first plants to show their leaves in the spring. This year we’re about a week or two behind when we typically start to see some buds appear.
As we go through the rest of March and into April – I expect we’ll see more warmer days and warmer nights for longer periods of time. With that, I would expect to see a lot more plants, springing to life.
Of course, with the trees blooming – comes the pollen. Get ready, it’s coming… even if the peak is a little bit later than usual.
