Climate change altering rhododendron bloom time, says report

The blooming of rhododendrons heralds the onset of spring in the Himalayas, but thanks to climate change they are now flowering early in the winter itself, research shows.
A study by a group of scientists of the G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora, has generated evidences of changes in flowering phenology of Rhododendron arboreum flower in Uttarakhand.
Real-time field observations from 2009-11 showed peak flowering during early February to mid-March while earlier the full bloom was noticed from March to May, when the spring season sets in.
"The present field observations over three years revealed considerably higher frequency (47-75 per cent trees) of bloom during February-March, which provides a strong basis to prove other observational reports of advancement in flowering events of target species from spring to winter," said Dr Ranbeer S Rawal who led the research.

In his report he said that generalised additive model (GAM) using real-time field observations and herbarium records (1893-2003) predicted 88-97 days early flowering over the last 100 years.
Rhododendron arboreum is a small evergreen tree and is known for the captivating beauty of its deep red or pale pink flowers.
Throughout the region, the species commands a high socio-cultural reverence and has been designated as the state tree of Uttarakhand.
With the blooming of the rhododendrons, locals in the Garhwal Himalayas celebrate 'Phool Sankranti', a festival of flowers.