Tulip
Garden Update: January 5, 2007
Today's
Report Includes:
Gardeners
Plant Late in Warm Temperatures
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In
this unusually warm winter we see the first tulip gardens emerging.
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The map
is filling up with tulip gardens! Over the past month another 50 gardens
were planted, bringing our total to 394 gardens this year. Keep your
eyes on the map in the weeks ahead!
Can you see some green on the map? Yes, 2 gardens were reported emerged. This
is the earliest we have received reports that tulips have emerged in the Midwest.
Are you having a mild winter in your hometown? Will springtime come early in
2007?
Predict in your Tulip Garden Journals: What
effect will the unusually warm weather from the Midwest to the Northeast
have on our tulip gardens?
Weather
Maps Tell Stories
Weather maps
are like pictures that tell a story. If you study them carefully they will
reveal lots of information. Study weather maps often. If you keep your
eyes open you can begin to make more accurate predictions about spring’s
arrival. Think about the patterns you see.
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Departure
from Average Temperatures:Dec. 24-30, 2006
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Departure
from Average Temperatures: Dec. 2006
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Find your
garden on these maps. Were your temperatures above or below normal?
Will our temperatures today affect future seasonal change? Will spring
come on time in 2007?
Last
Year?
When
did your tulips emerge last year? You can find your own historic records
reported to Journey North from past years here: Maps and Data
Archives >>
Is
this Emergence?
Students
in MI had a pre-Christmas surprise in their garden. They sent this
garden report:
Here
in Midland, Michigan we have had an unseasonably warm December.
Our local newspaper reported that many people had called in to
say that their tulips are emerging (yes, that's headline news here
in small town America!). I checked our Journey North Tulips at
Cook School, and there are 2 that have emerged.
Why are
tulips emerging in December in this MI garden? Students here have planted
Journey North tulip gardens since 2004. Each year the tulips have emerged
in March, not December. Where can you find more information that might
explain this phenomenon? (Hint: Search the Web to find temperature
and climate records for this location.)
What
are YOUR Tulips Doing?
You may have discovered that some of YOUR tulips have broken dormancy already
this year. If you see tulips beginning to emerge in your garden report to
Journey North that your garden has EMERGED. Be sure to note
this event in your Tulip Garden Journal.
Plant
Physiology
If a plant isn't dormant, the growing tissues can be damaged with freezing
temperatures. Water in the plants tissues can burst, permanently cutting off
water and nutrient flow to the bloom or leaves, causing them to die. This could
mean fewer tulips blooming this spring.
Applying a layer (4-6”) of mulch over the garden area will protect delicate
tissues from freezing temperatures.
Spotlight
on
the Classroom
“Hello
from Mr. Gullickson’s 6th grade sciences classes at Seven Oak
Middle School in Lebanon, Oregon. This is the third year our school
has participated in the Journey North International Tulip Study...
This year we will be monitoring soil temperatures and moisture conditions
in our garden using LEGO robots. Our robots will be traveling along
a raised track system we our installing in our garden...”
- Read
more about Seven Oak Middle School’s innovative monitoring
project >>
Forget
to Report?
Have you forgotten to report your garden planted? There
is still time to get your data into the experiment! Press the word "Sightings" on
the navigation bar at the top of this page.
- Report
your Tulips PLANTED:>>
This
is the FINAL Tulip Garden Update for Fall 2006.
Join us for Spring 2007!
Our first Update is February 2, 2007.
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