Yes, you had allergies in February. Much of SC experienced earliest spring on record
At her home on St. Helena Island, Laura Lee Rose has already watched blooms appear on pepper and tomato plants that survived the winter in pots.
“That’s kind of crazy,” said Rose, a horticulture agent and county office coordinator for Clemson Extension in Beaufort County. “I just feel like everything seemed to bloom a little bit earlier.”
Rose’s observation is backed up by data from a group that tracks such things. The Lowcountry and much of South Carolina experienced its earliest spring on record over a period of almost 40 years, according to modeling by the USA National Phenology Network.
The group was formed in 2007 and is based at the University of Arizona. The organization works with scientists, volunteer observers. government agencies and educators to collect data related to climate and changing seasons.
The model predicts the start of spring by using decades of historical observations of when lilacs and honeysuckle first show leaves and charting the number of days from the start of the year with temperatures required to produce those leaves.
The species were chosen because they are common throughout the country and are among the earliest to bloom and show leaves. Long-term averages for days the “leaf out” or blooms are reached are calculated using temperature data.
Beaufort County and other areas along the S.C. coast started spring this year three to four weeks earlier than long-term averages, according to the group’s model on when leaves showed. In fact, much of North and South Carolina experienced the earliest spring in the 39-year record.
A separate model tracking first blooms was also ahead of average, with some areas of the Lowcountry shown on the mapped data with blooms the earliest on record.
Climate change and early spring
Phenology is the study of plant and animal cycles as they relate to seasonal changes and climate. The science helps farmers and gardeners know optimal planting times and others when to expect problems with allergies, for instance.
Observations of seasonal changes are reported by an army of volunteers and researchers with groups such as the National Phenology Network and Budburst, a partner project by the Chicago Botanic Garden. The efforts collect data scientists can use to predict seasonal changes in the future.
Climate change makes earlier springs more likely, though it doesn’t explain one year with early blooms, said Alyssa Rosemartin, a partner and applications specialist with the USA National Phenology Network. Just as climate change makes more intense storms more likely while not being the sole reason for one big hurricane, she noted.
Gradual changes in the climate could throw animal and plant cycles out of sync. Insects that plants depend on for pollination, for example, might not be developed enough to feed on nectar and carry pollen if blooms come too early.
As budburst.org explains, “when these changes happen consistently over many years, the timing of events such as flowering, leafing, insect emergence, and allergies can impact how plants, animals, and humans are able to thrive in their environments.”
“We can see a mismatch between, for example, birds and their food resources,” Rosemartin said. “I live in Massachusetts — I saw where the leaves started coming out early, which is the right time for the caterpillars to emerge. But the birds haven’t migrated through yet, so that’s a time they’re missing the caterpillars they might feed on.”
Ready for spring
Like many at home while waiting out the coronavirus, Rose said the warmer weather has allowed her to be out in the yard.
“The honey bees are certainly out foraging around on the holly bushes out here; all the bottlebrush are blooming,” Rose said. “I’ve seen hummingbirds; I’ve seen painted buntings; the birds are flying around in pairs. I would say everybody’s ready for spring.”
Clemson agents are still available by phone and email to answer questions from farmers, landscapers and homeowners and the university’s lab is still processing soil samples for analysis.
But despite the homebound population, the calls and emails with questions have dropped from dozens each week during a typical spring to less than a handful during the pandemic, Rose said.
She’s taking advantage of both the downtime and the early spring.
“What if this virus had come in the middle of winter instead of spring? she said. “At least we can get out and see our yards and work in our yards. To me it’s very therapeutic to be able to do that.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Yes, you had allergies in February. Much of SC experienced earliest spring on record."
