Rockies Might See Fewer Flowers
Climate change could mean the Rockies will see fewer wildflowers blooming in years to come, according to a University of Maryland researcher. More disturbing still: the decline in flowers could have repercussions for other creatures higher up the food chain, including grasshoppers, deer and elk.
Sifting through 35 years of data, David Inouye found that snow has been melting earlier in the Rockies over the past decade, causing three types of perennial wildflowers — larkspur, Aspen fleabane and Aspen sunflower — to start blooming earlier in the spring. While average temperatures are warming, the region is still prone to snaps of frost as late as June. The frost doesn’t kill the plants, but does leave them unable to bloom for the rest of the year. And that means the plants can’t produce seeds and reproduce.
Earlier blooming has led to increased frost damage in recent years, Inouye found. For example, an average of 36.1 percent of Aspen sunflower buds were hurt by frost between 1992 and 1998. But by 1999-2000, the mean level of frost damage has risen to 73.9 percent.
“(W)e find that these perennials are not producing enough seeds to make the next generation of plants,” Inouye said. “What will replace these colorful flowers? We don’t know. But we know that many animals depend upon them, and so the outcome could be quite dramatic.”
