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It's December, Why Are These Trees Blossoming?
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 15, 2015
Modified Dec 16, 2015
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 15, 2015
Modified Dec 16, 2015
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While many New Yorkers are simply shrugging and and basking in this gloriously abnormal heat wave, we can't help but feel a certain uneasiness about this warm December weather. It's way too close to New Year's Eve to have to see people walking around in flip-flops and cargo shorts. Also, what's up with these cherry trees blooming in McCarren Park?
However, once you calm down and check Gothamist's archives, you'll realize that this is what happens with some trees.
Photograph of a tree in McCarren Park by Elliot Sperber
Deanna Curtis, Curator of Woody Plants at the New York Botanical Garden, tells us, "The trees in the attached pictures are most likely the cultivar 'Autumnalis'; or 'Autumnalis Rosea'. As the name suggests, in warm autumn seasons the flowers often bloom sporadically. They then still bloom more fully in spring. It appears that more flowers will likely open in this late-autumn/early-winter on these trees resulting in fewer flowers in spring. This phenomenon is typical for these varieties."
So enjoy them now before the cold snap—a.k.a. the 50-degree weather—arrives.
Tagged
blooming trees
blossom
cherry blossom
cherry tree
climate change
weather
original
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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