Typically, blooming is triggered by environmental signals such as seasonal temperature changes, increased nutrient levels in soil and water, and more. This is why spring flowers are often thought of as those that push through melting snow. Researchers from the University of Seville (Spain) and São Paulo State University (Brazil) have discovered a new trend in the blooming of spring flowers. They are now blooming significantly earlier than they did a few decades ago. This finding regarding spring flowering was made in Doñana National Park, located in Andalusia, in the southwest of Spain. For several years now, ideal conditions for flower blooming have been occurring here weeks earlier than usual. For instance, in mid-April, due to a mere one-degree Celsius increase in the usual temperature, the park’s flora behaves as if it were the first week of May.
What Scientists Have Learned
In the park, which spans 543 square kilometers, over 875 plant species thrive. Many of these are well-known to gardeners, including lavender, rosemary, thyme, carnation, oleander, euphorbia, juniper, and blackberry. By analyzing data on 51 shrub species over the past 35 years, researchers noticed that the peak blooming time for these species is occurring earlier each year—now, specifically, 22 days earlier than in the 1980s. Overall, the study revealed that due to global warming, many plants in Doñana National Park have adjusted their biological rhythms. In fact, 80 percent of flowering species have started to bloom earlier than usual. Among all the analyzed species, rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) has shown the most striking shift, now blooming a full 92 days earlier, as reported by Science Alert.
While ideal blooming conditions are arriving sooner and flowers are unfurling their petals more quickly, many of the species studied rely on insect pollination, which in turn depends on flowers. As scientists noted, more than half of the insect-pollinated species are now competing for the attention of these pollinators. About 40 percent of these species have shifted their blooming times away from potential competitors, possibly finding new opportunities. Thus, the change in blooming schedules caused by climate change has provided a wealth of new data for the field of phenology, which studies seasonal development patterns, changes in biological phenomena, and life cycles.
Additional Insights from Researchers
Doñana National Park borders the Strait of Gibraltar, and its vast salt flats serve as a crucial stopover for wildlife species that migrate seasonally between Europe and Africa. This means that any changes in this incredibly biodiverse ecosystem could have significant consequences, potentially extending to Northern Europe and Southern Africa. The park is a breeding ground and transit zone for thousands of migratory bird species in winter. This is yet another phenological phenomenon closely linked to the seasonal availability of food sources like insects and seeds. It’s hard to even imagine how many species could be affected by this “small” change in blooming schedules. Studies like this offer a fresh perspective on the impact of the climate crisis on life on our planet. The results of this research were published in the journal Annals of Botany.