Re: Flowering time : latitudinal relationships?

>Does anyone know if any work has been done to establish a relationship
>between degrees of latitude and and flowering times?
>
>I have lots of documented flowering times for the Chicagoland area, but I'd
>like to make this extensible to just about anywhere.   For example,
>Champaign-Urbana is about two weeks ahead of Chicago for most everything.
>Can I then assume that for each degree of latitude (approx. 69 miles, or
>111 km) the flowering time will change by one week?
>
>I'd say the answer is no since solar angles, etc. come into play for
>different seasons.  But there's also no doubt in my mind that someone's
>already put a lot more thought into this than I have.  :)
>
>So please, any references or pointers would really be appreciated...
>
>Thanks,
>
>Chris


Chris...

A change in latitude will mean a change in day length and perhaps
intensity, but there are too many other factors at work.   Most important
is temperature.

The example you mention (Chicago) is similar to what I see here in
Milwaukee, some 90 miles north.  The difference in the spring flowering
times of things such as spring bulbs, forsythia, liliac can be as much as 2
weeks between areas close to Lake Michigan and the western suburbs.  In our
case, this is solely due to the cooling effect of Lake Michigan.  Also look
at how much warmer areas of southern England are despite their higher
latitude.  Reason, the modifying influence of the Gulf Stream.

In order to draw any conclusion, you have to compare areas of different
latitude, but with the same temperature.

Don Martinson
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (Milwaukee suburb)
USDA Zone 5 (-10 to -20F)
AHS Heat Zone #4,  Map at:
(  http://www.suite101.com/userfiles/79/hz1024.jpg )

l*@execpc.com


  

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE WOODYPLANTS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index