Cherry trees in flower are one of the most beautiful sights of spring. In Japan, Korea, Washington, D.C., and many other places, the cherry blossom season is a time for festivals and merriment.
A warming climate is causing cherry trees to flower several weeks earlier in the spring, shifting the dates of the festivals as well. However, with an earlier flowering comes an increased risk of flowers being damaged by late season frosts, and a greatly diminished floral display. Also, a mild winter can result in outbreaks of insects that can further damage the flowers and young leaves. As a consequence, climate change has the potential to drastically decrease the abundance of cherry blossoms.
In 2015, there was a spectacular display of cherry blossoms at the Arnold Arboretum, as shown by this Sargent’s cherry tree, and a close-up of a flowering branch:
In 2016, by contrast, there was a warm late winter and early spring, stimulating an early flowering of cherry trees. Unfortunately, a late frost combined with an outbreak of gypsy moth caterpillars severely damaged the flowers, as shown by these photos of the same Sargent’s cherry tree:
An article on this topic, which extensively quotes Richard Primack, appeared in the German on-line magazine Deutsche Welle.
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