Hawthorn

[m100]

Beeks of 40+ years experience have said to me in the past you need a combination of high temperatures and high humidity to get Hawthorn to yield a proper flow and then it's often swamped by OSR, this year with crops being ploughed back in could be the exception.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wow! Ours hasn't bothered showing any leaves yet, let alone flowers. It's still quite cold though, with overnight frosts.

Amazing differences for such a little Island.
Our hedgerows are greening up nicely

 

[Skyhook]

I'm not sure that plants have the ability to predict the future. I certainly hope not as my bees are loving the hawthorn at the moment.

They don't. BUt they do have the ability to rflect the patterns of the past 12 months, as this is what drives them; and as pattern A is often followed by pattern B, the plants will often suggest what 'B' is going to be.

Not suer it works any more though, since we've ****** up the climate.


.

 

[Excession]

100% sure that plants don't follow any pattern, rather chemistry at a base level.

When warm enough, light enough and with the right resources, the chemical responses trigger blooming.

They don't have a calendar or a weather forecast, they just react.

 

[AndyTh]

Today (May 3rd) have driven from Truro up A30 to Exeter and M5 to Worcestershire. Hawthorn greening up nicely but none in flower yet. Plenty of blackthorn/sloe, damson and lots of cherry in full flower; dandelions also and the last of the pussy willow still in flower. Not much OSR in flower anywhere. However, plum, apple, pear and horsechestnut poised to flower in a few days with half decent temperatures - this spring flowering has been compressed as it was round here in 2011 - early blossom flow without OSR this year? Let's hope for some warmer settled weather...