The Upside to our Weather Woes
The upside to our weather woes is something we all need to hear. As a landscape designer, I meet a multitude of people. The common thread I hear this Spring is the negativity about the extreme cold and wetness. As Minnesotans, we endure a winter of brutal cold and only hope to have an early Spring to lighten our spirits. One year ago we were in full tree leaf out, flowers were in full bloom, and the migratory birds were everywhere eating emerging insects. Today is the continuance of 7 months of winter. We are all wondering when a warm front will arrive. Sven Sungaard gives a glimpse of what is coming if you care to see some light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, I will share a few things, to me, that are positive about the cold and wet weather that have been persisting.
Positives to the cold weather
- Allergies have been tamped out. Sure they will come, but as a severe allergy sufferer, I know that when they do come they will hit hard, but they will be gone much faster than that of a nice warm beautiful Spring.
- If you are a bird watcher, the leafless trees will display many of the usually leaf-covered birds eating insects.
- Insects are at a minimum. Sure they will come, but the delayed warm might change the trajectory of the life cycle of certain insects creating lower populations.
- This cold has slowed the landscape industry giving all of the manufacturers a chance to get caught up after the summer of 2021 used almost everything in the state.
- The drought from last year has been wiped out. Had this rain not happened we would have been in some serious trouble here in Minnesota. Our lake levels, aquifers, rivers, and plants were all in serious jeopardy. Nobody will realize this since it is no longer a threat, but we were on the edge of disaster.
What flower you will see right away when the sun arrives:
Daffodils
Tulips
Forsythia
PJM Rhododendron
Azalea