Warm gold goes poof, no
seed
(Last week I) saw a DANDELION blooming! it was hugging
the ground and the base of an exposed hillside, but nevertheless!
At home we found winter aconite raising leaves and blossoms, not
many and not open, but they are showing themselves. Iris
reticulata, wood hyacinths, and a few tulips have also pushed
through. I would love an early spring, but if I remember, we get
ice storms in March... It would be fun to know what others are
seeing. - S.W. -
Dandelions are amazing. In 2005 we had a report of one blooming
in a warm spell on January 5 (Growing Concerns
#602). They often beat lenten rose (below) to bloom but are
rarely credited or appreciated in the same way. (Although our
poet-gardener Frank Harney was pretty appreciative of them when he
wrote the poem in
What's Coming Up #131.)
The nice thing about dandelions stems that mature so early is
they probably won't be pollinated. So that flower that might have
waited for an April, bee-flying day is a flop, not able to complete
its mission. A little less dandelion seed*
may be added to the world this year.
Flowers that emerge too early risk missing their pollinators.* No pollen carriers, no seed, and
the flower itself may last only very briefly if its petals are
killed by cold. A brief bloom is a shame, when it
comes to tulips. Yet we can delight in the "no seed" angle when it
comes to dandelions.
The aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) and other sprouts will
probably be fine. They, too, might have their flowering stems
nipped back by cold but their essential parts are below ground,
safe.
As for what others are seeing, please post your observations on the Forum as an
invitation to others who are seeing unusual developments. We do
that: We've garnered some input in the Ecology folder about unusual warm winter observations, and are
currently asking about earliest bees...
Lenten rose (Helleborus x orientalis) is a very
tough customer. Those leaves have weathered winter, hugging the
ground. All that time, the flower buds were nestled in the crown,
at ground level. They very quickly grew up to take advantage of a
February warm spell. Although we're don't usually see them bloom
until March, we aren't worried that the plant will suffer any
lasting harm if its preciousness costs it some flower
stems.
*EXCEPT, that at least SOME
dandelions can set seed without pollination. More on this Apomixis
at the forum in Wildlife, Earliest Bees