[Pollinator] Warm Weather Tricks Blooms in Aiken

[Ladadams at aol.com]

Warm weather tricks plants into prematurely blooming
Mon, Jan 8, 2007
 
A Southside yard springs with color from the red of the flowering quince, in 
full bloom. 
By KRYSTIN MERRIWEATHER 
Staff writer 
As a result of recent warm winter temperatures, it not only feels like 
spring, it is beginning to look like it. Some plants in the area have already begun 
their blooming process as early as January. 
In addition to sighted cherry blossoms, Dr. Harry Shealy noticed native 
azaleas in his backyard and a few plants downtown that are in bloom as well. 
A USC Aiken professor of biology, Shealy said with plants having such an 
early bloom, this could affect their bloom in the spring. 
"Plants respond to normal seasonal change," Shealy said. "Around here there 
are two things that can cause a plant to react ... light period and 
temperature." 
Since the weather has been unseasonably warm, the plants are just reacting to 
their conditions. If cold or freezing temperatures roll around, it will 
affect the plant's growth and bloom in the spring. 
"It doesn't kill the plant, but certainly it doesn't do it any good," Shealy 
said. 
Another factor that will affect early bloomers is their dependence upon a 
pollinator. For instance, if a plant blooms in February and it depends on an 
insect pollinator that does not emerge until April, it will be affected, Shealy 
explained. 
"There are so many variables in nature," he said. 
Although overnight rain brought in cooler temperatures for today, freezing 
weather is nowhere in the forecast for this week, according to Meteorologist 
Mike Proud with the National Weather Service. 
"Skies should clear out a bit during late morning, early afternoon," he said. 
Proud said today's high will be in the upper 50s and kind of breezy with 
winds 10 to 20 miles per hour. The rest of the week looks pretty dry and will be 
warmer, he said. 
The normal high for January is about 55 degrees, Proud said, so the recent 
warm temperatures are above average for this time of year. 
"The next two days we are sitting about normal," he said. 
As far as freezing winter weather being over for this season, Proud said it 
is hard to tell. 
Contact Krystin Merriweather at kmerriweather at aikenstandard.com

Laurie Davies Adams
Executive Director
Coevolution Institute
423 Washington St. 5th
San Francisco, CA 94111
415 362 1137
http://www.coevolution.org/
http://www.pollinator.org/
http://www.nappc.org/

Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week:  June 24-30, 2007.  Contact us 
for more information at www.pollinator.org 

Our future flies on the wings of pollinators.
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