Observation by Wilson Justin:
Barely seen are the white stems at the end of some of the branches. Each new stem is budding. Perhaps normal, but I'm thinking not. Oct 6 was 3rd day of frost in Chistochina, meaning we had spring-like conditions from end of hunting season...could it be our alders are beginning to get confused.
Comments from LEO Editors:
We have forwarded this observation to the International Arctic Research Center.
LEO has received other observations of late blooming woody plants. These are of interest to ecologists because if these plants bloom earlier or later than usual, they risk missing important pollination opportunities from migrating birds and animals. One hypothesis for the change in budding/blooming timing for these plants is unusually warm temperatures. Pictured below is a map from the Alaska Climate Research Center showing the monthly temperature departures across the state. Near Gulkana, the temperatures were 3.6 degrees F above normal. Erica Lujan
Observations From Members 