Evidence for climate change has been inferred from spring advances in first-flowering in plants.
The flowering period is affected by climate factors such as temperature and precipitation.
In this study, the 73 species bloom in March and April with more than 10 observational records among the plants in Hongneung Arboretum in Seoul, Korea.
To determine when and how fast the average first-flowering times, we divided it into three sections: 1968-1975(section 0), 1999-2008(section 1), and 2009-2018(section 2).
Results/Conclusions
During the last 20 years(1999-2018), the average first-flowering times for 50 of 73 species were accelerated 11.1 days, 9 species were delayed 3.2 days, and 12 species, which were accelerated in section 1 and then delayed in section 2, accelerated 3.8 days compared to section 0.
Compared to the average first-flowering times for total 73 species during 1968-1975 to the values during 1999-2018, the average first-flowering time was accelerated 8.5 days over 50 years using mean data between the two time windows.
This tendency for March-April flowering plants to bloom earlier in the spring was associated with an increase in mean minimum temperature and mean precipitation of March and April.