Spring flowers blooming earlier worldwide

April 11, 2011

Botanists across the world say they're seeing an alarming trend when it comes to the arrival of spring. They say that spring flowers are blooming earlier than ever. They even have a name for it - "season creep."

Experts say that decades of research have proven that season creep is not just a fluke - it's real. In England, the leaves of the English oak tree are appearing sooner. And in Korea, cherry blossoms are blooming earlier.

According to the Washington Post, a 2005 analysis by Smithsonian botanists found that of out of 100 popular spring blossom, 90 species bloomed two to 44 days earlier than they had 20 years ago.

"When you gather together all the scientific studies that have documented this, we can see that about 80 percent of the species are changing earlier in the spring," Jake Weltzin, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the newspaper.

While some say that seeing flowers blooming early is a good thing, scientists insist it has far-reaching effects including the possibility of plant, animal and insect species becoming extinct.

"This is something you can count on year after year - the return of spring, the thrill of seeing that life returns, beauty goes on," spring bloom hunter and author, Cristol Fleming, told the Washington Post. "In a world where there's so much you can't count on, it's nice to have something that you can."

A surefire way to enjoy the beauty of spring is to purchase a spring flower bouquet for yourself or someone else.

This article is brought to you by Teleflora - a leader in the flower delivery service for over 75 years. Teleflora helps its customers buy flowers online and specializes in bringing the freshest available flowers for a variety of holidays and occasions - all hand-delivered in keepsake vases by the best local florists.

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