UMaine Extension educators cited in Ellsworth American article on unseasonable weather
University of Maine Cooperative Extension educators Lois Berg Stack, David Yarborough and Kathy Hopkins were quoted in the Ellsworth American article, “Plants well equipped to deal with wacky winter weather.” Some perennials in Maine have been flowering far earlier than they should, due to the warmer-than-average winter, according to the article. “It’s all about the cues the plants are receiving from the environment,” said Stack, an ornamental horticulture specialist and professor of sustainable agriculture. She added ornamental flowers are much more resilient to fluctuating temperatures than home gardeners may think. “If flower buds develop now, they will die in the coming cold, and will not reflower in spring,” she said. “They might not be so spectacular this spring as usual, but in the long run they will be fine.” Yarborough, a wild blueberry specialist, said a winter thaw at the end of January is not uncommon and that most plants are well acclimated. “I don’t believe temperatures have been extreme enough long enough to signify any effect on the blueberry crop,” he said. The warmer weather also provided some maple syrup producers across Maine with an early start to their seasons, the article states. “Warmer weather doesn’t have a negative effect; it just changes when maple season will actually be,” said Hopkins, a maple syrup expert.