Edinburgh's Early Spring

May 21, 2006

By Clare Nunamaker from Linlithgow, Scotland

Spring is coming measurably earlier to Edinburgh. A full 21 days earlier than in 2002, according to experts at the Royal Botanical Garden.

The Botanical Garden's Spring Index project was initiated in 2002 and is coordinated by some of Scotland's top experts in botany and horticulture. The idea is to document the exact day that selected plant species flower, to do so every year, and then analyze changes over time. The Spring Index is currently based on 21 species that flower before March 15.

The results to date have been stunning. In 2005, this array of plants was flowering an average of 21 days earlier than in 2002. The extreme example was hazel, which was flowering 55 days earlier by the end of this 3-year period.

The coordinators of the Spring Index project point out that it is impossible to predict future trends definitively. Still, the records to date show a short but clear trend. The average flowering was earlier by 6 days in 2003, 13 days in 2004, and 21 days in 2005. In other words, spring has been arriving about one week earlier every year.

What's the significance of these findings? "When a plant flowers out of season, everything that interacts with it is affected," comments horticulturist Peter Brownless. "The various insects which rely on it must adapt to the changing timescale and this, in turn will affect, for example, the seasonal feeding habits of birds.

Closer to home, it's certainly possible to repeat this experiment right in your own backyard. Using a gardener's journal or other written record, simply note the first flowering of your species of choice. It may also be of interest to note when the last flowers drop off. In a few years, you can analyze your own Spring Index data.

Clare Nunamaker is a California Registered Professional Forester who after receiving a composer's visa for the UK, moved to Scotland. Go to http://www.heartwoodmusic.com/ for more information about Clare's musical endeavors.

Workshop Announcement: A Progressive Road Design and Construction Workshop will be held on Friday June 2, 2006 9am to 4pm. Danny Hagans of Pacific Coast Watersheds will facilitate this workshop geared for both the heavy equipment operators as well as landowners - anyone wanting to learn more about how they can best maintain their roads. The morning session will be held at the Boonville Firehouse with talk and slideshow. The afternoon session will be held out in the field with on the ground demonstration, question and answer, tour with examples of different road maintenance problems and solutions. Bring lunch, water, hat, sturdy shoes, etc. To register or for more information, call the Navarro River Resource Center at (707) 895-3230 or email rivercenter@mcn.org.