A sad reality …

January 2, 2017, by Santosh Koirala

The flowering season of the Himalayan rhododendron has moved forward by three months in response to climate change.

RANPUR, Nepal, 2 January, 2017 – The rhododendron, one of the most popular and colourful small evergreen trees grown in gardens and parks across the world, is changing its flowering season from spring to winter in its native Himalayan habitat.

The blooming of rhododendron, with their conspicuous displays of deep red or pale pink flowers, has always heralded the arrival of spring in the Himalayas, but this has undergone a dramatic change. Peak flowering season is now early February to mid-March, instead of the spring months from March to May.

A group of scientists at the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development in Almora, India, studied the change in flowering times of the native Rhodedendron arboreum to see if they could relate it to climate change.

http://climatenewsnetwork.net/himalayan-bloom-spring-forward/