When do you see the tree leaves come out in the spring? (average, temperature)
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for me this is a bit difficult to answer because I live in a tropical climate, but we do have trees here that for one reason or another lose their leaves in the low sun angle season. Trees like Cypress, Gumbo Limbo, Mango,etc they all lose there leaves in the fall generally around october and november and begin to sprout new leaves in march( except the mango they start in january) so i hope that answers your question.
I'm bumping this two-year-old thread because after this very cold, very snowy winter, I'm wondering if not seeing any leaves on the trees is unusual. I'm in Rhode Island, it's almost a month into spring (and a month and a half into meteorological spring), and yet I don't see any sign of leaves on a single tree. I check every day, but nothing, not even tiny buds at the end of branches. Is this atypical?
I'm bumping this two-year-old thread because after this very cold, very snowy winter, I'm wondering if not seeing any leaves on the trees is unusual. I'm in Rhode Island, it's almost a month into spring (and a month and a half into meteorological spring), and yet I don't see any sign of leaves on a single tree. I check every day, but nothing, not even tiny buds at the end of branches. Is this atypical?
No. In New England trees burst to leaves in late April normally. Bear in mind that trees need very long periods of constant warmth before they burst. It's a matter of precaution, because if they start leafing too early and a deep freeze hits, it might kill them.
No. In New England trees burst to leaves in late April normally. Bear in mind that trees need very long periods of constant warmth before they burst. It's a matter of precaution, because if they start leafing too early and a deep freeze hits, it might kill them.
Yeah, that happened here in 2007 - when we had a hot early spring and everything was in full leaf by early April. We got hit with a hard, long-duration freeze which resulted in a massive frost-kill to within 30 miles of here. We were lucky, since we didn't go below 27 (although it did stay in the 20's for many hours - dunno how the leaves survived that, but they did) - but just north of here, just about every leafed-out tree was wiped out. Most of them didn't get their leaves back until late May.
I've always wondered what would happen if we got a volcanic winter and temps just didn't warm up in the spring - would the trees leaf out anyway - perhaps to be frozen off and then re-leaf again and again through the "summer"? I do remember a certain kind of tree in my hometown that got all their leaves stripped due to some sort of bug infestation, and they were forced to re-leaf in the fall - and they kept their green right up until Christmas (when they basically froze off.) It was weird to see the deep green foliage so deep into winter...lol.
I've always wondered what would happen if we got a volcanic winter and temps just didn't warm up in the spring - would the trees leaf out anyway - perhaps to be frozen off and then re-leaf again and again through the "summer"? I do remember a certain kind of tree in my hometown that got all their leaves stripped due to some sort of bug infestation, and they were forced to re-leaf in the fall - and they kept their green right up until Christmas (when they basically froze off.) It was weird to see the deep green foliage so deep into winter...lol.
They have to leaf or otherwise they'll die. A tree can't survive a year without getting enough clorophyll, so they simply have to burst at some point. If it's cold, they just have to keep their leaves for a couple of months and hope for the best. Here, the bird cherry has to leaf twice each year, as the cherry butterfly larvaes eat the tree barren in spring, like so:
They have to leaf or otherwise they'll die. A tree can't survive a year without getting enough clorophyll, so they simply have to burst at some point. If it's cold, they just have to keep their leaves for a couple of months and hope for the best. Here, the bird cherry has to leaf twice each year, as the cherry butterfly larvaes eat the tree barren in spring, like so:
That's what I thought - it's too bad trees can't skip a year in case of a climatic disaster.
I've read accounts of the Year Without a Summer (also known as Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death, i.e., 1816 - when there were hard freezes deep into the summer. Supposedly some trees had to re-leaf not once, but up to three times over the course of the summer - I suspect many of them didn't make it. They had some ugly riots over in Europe due to profiteers charging many times the usual price for bread and the like. Today, I would hope they would be shot dead, as they should.
I'm sure there have been times in the past with comet impacts and the like when it was simply too cold for deciduous trees to achieve any sort of growing season, resulting in massive deforestation. I can't imagine the forest fires that surely came afterward with all that dead wood around - they must have been truly global in scope.
Yeah, that happened here in 2007 - when we had a hot early spring and everything was in full leaf by early April. We got hit with a hard, long-duration freeze which resulted in a massive frost-kill to within 30 miles of here. We were lucky, since we didn't go below 27 (although it did stay in the 20's for many hours - dunno how the leaves survived that, but they did) - but just north of here, just about every leafed-out tree was wiped out. Most of them didn't get their leaves back until late May.
Leafed out trees can definitely take mild frosts here. At least half of the years we get a frost in mid May after the trees are leafed out. Spring 2012 was a very warm spring (more than a week of 70s in March); trees started budding really early and there was a below average stretch in late April. Edges of leaves got frost nip, but they recovered in a month. April 20, 2012:
Upstate NY got even longer warm stretch in early spring, trees were at near full leaf by April 22:
A month later they all looked fine. I wonder if northern trees are hardier than southern ones? Might not be, deciduous trees have rather specific needs.
snow on full leaves:
melted within a few hours, it was 6 inches of snow and 2 inches of accumulation.
That's what I thought - it's too bad trees can't skip a year in case of a climatic disaster.
I've read accounts of the Year Without a Summer (also known as Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death, i.e., 1816 - when there were hard freezes deep into the summer. Supposedly some trees had to re-leaf not once, but up to three times over the course of the summer - I suspect many of them didn't make it. They had some ugly riots over in Europe due to profiteers charging many times the usual price for bread and the like. Today, I would hope they would be shot dead, as they should.
I'm sure there have been times in the past with comet impacts and the like when it was simply too cold for deciduous trees to achieve any sort of growing season, resulting in massive deforestation. I can't imagine the forest fires that surely came afterward with all that dead wood around - they must have been truly global in scope.
Yup, the same thing after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. Some trees survived, the others didn't. Around 5000BC when the climate started to get colder, species like oak and chestnut grew well in Northern Finland, but after they retreated to the south coast and only now are beginning to gain ground again further north.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei
Leafed out trees can definitely take mild frosts here. At least half of the years we get a frost in mid May after the trees are leafed out. Spring 2012 was a very warm spring (more than a week of 70s in March); trees started budding really early and there was a below average stretch in late April. Edges of leaves got frost nip, but they recovered in a month.
Wasn't March 2012 the warmest on record? Sure leafed out trees can take a frost or two, but most trees don't even have branches below 2 metres where the temperature is measured on. In any case, mature leaves have more frost tolerance than buds or small leaves.
Wasn't March 2012 the warmest on record? Sure leafed out trees can take a frost or two, but most trees don't even have branches below 2 metres where the temperature is measured on. In any case, mature leaves have more frost tolerance than buds or small leaves.
Not here, but furthest in the Great Lakes region it was (including where I took those upstate NY photos)
No. In New England trees burst to leaves in late April normally. Bear in mind that trees need very long periods of constant warmth before they burst. It's a matter of precaution, because if they start leafing too early and a deep freeze hits, it might kill them.
That poster is in Rhode Island, where tree leaf out is a week or two earlier than here. While neither spot usually has leaf out by now, they would normally see small buds by now.
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They had some ugly riots over in Europe due to profiteers charging many times the usual price for bread and the like. Today, I would hope they would be shot dead, as they should. 
