See what’s in bloom or about to be

What’s in bloom in your town? Use CFAES’s online Phenology Calendar to find out. Go to the website, enter your ZIP code, and see a daily listing of the stages of bloom of trees and shrubs around you. Entries might say, “Apple serviceberry, first bloom,” for example, or “Koreanspice viburnum, full bloom.” There’s also an option to see the whole season.

CFAES scientists base the calendar on growing degree days (GDD), essentially a measure of how warm (or not) the season has been. It shows you the current GDD in your neighborhood and the bloom stages happening at that level.

Why it’s good to know

The calendar shows you, too, the development stages of certain pests and weeds, such as “Egg hatch, European pine sawfly” and “First seedling emergence, smooth crabgrass.” That’s helpful information if you grow plants for fun or as a business. It tells you when the pest or weed is actually present and vulnerable. You can apply a pesticide, if needed, only at the best possible time, which keeps your costs down, improves effectiveness and also protects the environment.

Current events

Today, Feb. 26, for example, the calendar shows Cleveland at 57 GDD, with first bloom of Northern Lights forsythia starting at 58; Columbus at 51 GDD, with first bloom of speckled alder starting at 52; and Cincinnati at 87 GDD, with border forsythia’s first bloom having started at 81. (Photo: Forsythia, iStock.)

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