by Playfuls Staff |
23rd December 2006
Hundreds of plants in the Netherlands bloomed out-of-season in December, possibly because of warmer fall [more] temperatures, biologists said.
Observers reported more than 240 wild plant species and 200 cultivated species flowered in December, Science Daily said. Scientists at Wageningen University said 2 percent of the wild plants normally flower during the winter, while 27 percent complete their primary flowering period in autumn.
The flowering observation was coordinated by the Dutch network Nature's Calendar, which includes the university and nature-related organizations. The goal was to determine the effects of weather in the Netherlands during the second half of 2006.
This year included not only the warmest July and September on record, but also the wettest August. Temperatures were above normal 56.5 degrees Fahrenheit during September, October, November and the first 15 days in December.
After announcers on a Dutch radio program asked listeners to note plants in flower in early December, nearly 2,000 observations were submitted to the Nature's Calendar Web site, organizers said.
University biologists said the higher temperatures lengthened the growing season. They said they had yet to determine the ecological consequences of the higher temperatures and longer growing season.
© 2006 UPI
