In the US, this winter has set many records for snowfall amounts and colder temperatures. And this has everyone talking. Talking about the crocus that should be here and aren't. Talking about whether school will be closed yet again tomorrow. Talking about overspent budgets on plows and salt. And talking about the smell of baking cookies on one of those unexpected snow days.
To see how different things really are, I thought I'd look to see how what it was like during the beginning of March the last couple of years.
The beginning of March 2014
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| 3/3/2014--This was yesterday with 6" of snow and single digit temperatures. |
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| 3/1/2014--This is usually the spot where we see the first crocus. So far no sign of them. |
The beginning of March 2013
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| 3/3/2013--At this time last year, we had a few crocus popping up here and there. You can't see them here, but the daffodil leaves were up 6-8" |
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| 3/6/2013--But look, a few days later we had snow and freezing rain. |
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The beginning of March 2012
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| 3/1/2012--Two years ago on the first day of March, we had daffodils blooming several places in the yard. |
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| 3/10/2012--A week later, the maple tree was in bloom. That has not happened yet this year. |
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The middle of March 2011
(I didn't have any pictures from the beginning of March.)
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| 3/17/2011--The crocus are in bloom all over the yard. This is the same spot as in the 2014 picture that shows nothing but dirt and leaves. |
I'm not sure what all of this proves except maybe the plants agree with the records. It is colder this winter than recent ones. In the meantime, I am enjoying looking at pictures of things to come. (Soon, I hope.)
We never had crocuses at the beginning of March other this year. I probably will have some tulips in a couple of weeks :) The whole world is turning upside down :)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem unusual that your part of the world has had such warm weather this winter. Enjoy your spring flowers.
DeleteI love love love bulb plants in the spring. We have sometimes even had crocuses (is that the plural? Crocusi?) by our dryer vent in February in milder winters. Enjoyed your pictures of years gone by.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am winter-weary (we are well over 120 inches of snowfall for the season and COLD!), I have to admit that every year is a little bit different. Two years ago we had an unusually mild winter but the downside was that most of the fruit bushes/trees in our areas ended up with frozen buds which meant very little in the way of local fresh produce. That was bad because we love the fruit and we were sad for the local farmers. So while it seems like we will never enjoy warm weather again, I know it isn't really true ... and hopefully we will have a great fruit crop this year!
I have heard that the warm/cold weather cycles have been good for the fruit trees this year around here. However, last year we only had one peach on our tree because of frozen buds. Also, I was surprised the other day when you said that you had seen crocuses because you live north of where I do. Now I understand there could have been a dryer vent involved. :)
DeleteAnd it's on the south side of our house and on the rare occasions that we DO get sunshine, the snow retracts from there allowing exposure to a few plants. I'm always amazed at how the crocuses push forth no matter what the weather.
DeleteIt's amazing how diverse the weather can be in this vast country! While not sunshiney and balmy, we never did get a good snowfall this year (could still come, though). My crocuses planted many years ago are up and blooming. The ones from this past fall are just coming up now.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading about heating bills around the country, and I sure do feel for folks. It's been an expensive winter for many.
We have definitely used more oil this year than we usually do.
DeleteGoodness. What a year, huh? The 'look back' was fun though.
ReplyDeleteHow do NY winters compare to the Midwestern winters you grew up with?
DeleteToday is my granddaughter's 3rd birthday. I drove down when her mother went into labor to be there with her and had a chilly rainy drive but nothing too cold. By the next day the weather was beautiful. Since then I have spent every birthday with her, if not on the actual day the weekend closest. This will be the first year snow and cold will play a part in the day. Yes, it's colder than in recent years, but your pictures of past years have given me hope it will soon be over.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you will be able to visit your granddaughter soon. Spring is coming but it really seems like it's taking its time this year.
DeleteThis is a post that's right up my street - we Brits love talking/grumbling about the weather! It's been very very wet here but mild so the daffs are blooming over here.
ReplyDeleteWe've been hearing about your wet weather over here on the news. Hope it dries out nicely for you. However, rain helps the plants survive in the winter. That's what you can think about.
DeleteHere in Denver it's just been a very strange winter. Our snowfall numbers are way below average here in the city, but up in the high country they're counting the snowfall in feet! It's great for the ski resorts, and also great for our drought since Denver gets all its water from mountain snow melt.
ReplyDeleteBut our weather has just been doing a strange boomerang thing alternating between WAY below normal and WAY above normal. So it's been either 50's & 60's or it's been in the teens and single digits, and practically nothing in-between.
The chives and tulips are starting to come up, but nothing's even close to blooming. Usually I start thinking about planting spinach and peas right about now, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not this year as the young plants might not survive those single digits.
Our ground is not close to being ready for planting anything outside now because it is still frozen. However, this weekend it will be in the 50's. You never know with the weather.
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