EDMONTON, Alberta, July 6 (UPI) -- Climate change has some native wildflowers and trees blooming earlier in spring, making them more vulnerable to damaging frosts, Canadian researchers say.
A University of Alberta study found climate change over the past 70 years in central Alberta is forcing early spring weather that has some plant species blooming too early, threatening reproduction.
The researchers found the bloom dates for early spring species such as prairie crocuses and aspen trees had advanced by two weeks over the stretch of seven decades, a university release reported Wednesday.
Spring is considered the season of rebirth but if it is too early can threaten the very plants it is meant to welcome, researchers said.
The average winter monthly temperature increased considerably over 70 years, they said, with the greatest change noted in February, which warmed by almost 9 degrees Fahrenheit.
The study has been published in the journal Bioscience.
