As temperatures rise, wildflowers are under stress

Every summer, hikers and photographers look forward to bursting blooms of alpine wildflowers in the high country of the Rocky Mountains. But as the climate changes, temperatures are rising, spring snowmelt is occurring earlier in the year, and shrubs are encroaching – a convergence of stressors that could cause the flowers to appear in smaller numbers or even go extinct.

Photo credit: Gabriella Pardee.

It’s a problem that affects more than just the scenic beauty of the area. A wildflower decline could tip over a series of other dominos in the ecosystem, potentially affecting soil nutrient cycling, pollinators, invertebrate communities, and the food chains that depend on them. Researchers are concerned about these changes and are studying these ecosystems, looking for hints of the changes a warming climate could bring.

Read the story by Kristen Pope from Yale Climate Connections - “As temperatures rise, wildflowers are under stress.”

5 Plants and Animals Utterly Confused by Climate Change

Every year, as the seasons change, a complex ballet unfolds around the world. Trees in the Northern Hemisphere leaf out in the spring as frost recedes. Caterpillars hatch to gorge on leaves. Bees and butterflies emerge to pollinate flowers. Birds leave the Southern Hemisphere and fly thousands of miles to lay eggs and feast on insects in the north.

Lauren Kolesinskas for The New York Times

All of these species stay in sync with each other by relying on environmental cues, much as ballet dancers move to orchestral music.

But global warming is changing the music, with spring now arriving several weeks earlier in parts of the world than it did a few decades ago. Not all species are adjusting to this warming at the same rate, and, as a result, some are falling out of step.  

Read the story by Livia Abeck-Ripka and brad Plumer from The New York Times - “5 Plants and Animals Utterly Confused by Climate Change.”

Bushfires arrive earlier, are more intense and cause more trouble

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ustralian bushfires are arriving earlier in the season, more frequent, more intense and more troubling, reflecting what is happening in other parts of the world.

Author Kyle Dickman has written about why, in America wildfire seasons are so bad and getting worse in, “On the Burning Edge”.

Wildfires in the U.S. have been growing more severe, more costly and more frequent over the past half century.

Dickman writes that mismanagement, suppressing natural fires and allowing forests to grow dense, as well as encroaching development have led to worse fires, with climate change providing even more fuel.

With longer periods of drought and hotter temperatures wicking moisture from the forests, much of the West is a tinderbox. Research shows conditions will continue to worsen as the planet continues to warm.

Read The Inside Climate News interview with Dickman - “The Deadlier Scourge of Wildfires in an Age of Climate Change”.