Daffodil and erratic
We have a very early daffodil in our yard. As long as it is above freezing this plant will begin to grow. Its been a very mild January with no hard freezing temperatures since early in the month. This particular daffodil can tolerate deep freezes even while blooming as pictured on a previous post HERE. This same daffodil bloomed in January last year as last January was the warmest in history.
I observed numerous January blooms this morning on my walk to work.
The above are not native plants, but the Oregon grape is almost blooming.
The western Washington weather can be described as a very long drawn out fall and a very long drawn out spring. Its not like it has been pleasantly warm this past month - it has simply never been very cold. It is that way most of the winter cool damp weather with an occasional frigid blast out of the Fraser River Valley. So far this winter we had only one hard cold period in November with only mild freezes since. A little disappointing for snow lovers given this was a La Nina year.
2 comments:
Beautiful! But a little frightening to see them so early.
Our daffodils were right cowards. They always waited for the crocuses to brave the snow. Then they'd come ambling up after they thought the danger was past. Alas for the poor yellow buggers, Flagstaff had a tendency to dump a foot or so on them at odd times of the spring.
Not now, I suspect. Not with it getting warmer so much earlier in the year. Now, the daffies are probably swaggering out in February without a worry in the world.
This particular daffie has lots of antifreeze. Its blooms survived unscathed 12 degree temperatures two winters ago.
Flagstaff area gave me a good hard freeze on a trip a few years ago. A whole ecosystem designed around extreme weather events.
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