Man's Greed Confuses Plants and Butterflies

The summer madness in India seems to have affected not only humans but the plants species which is a very worrying phenomenon, according to scientistS and environmentalists.

The unseasonal bloom in some flowers and trees cannot totally be attributed to the bloom in the Lotus (pun intended).But on a more serious note the sight of the bright yellow Amaltas blooming twice or even thrice in an year may be a poet’s delight but scientists blame this on climate change or global warming created by humans like us. And this has become a set pattern for the last 4/5 years.

Swati, a scientist working with Seasonwatch an organisation that has been conducting studies in various parts of the country on the pattern of changes in trees by involving individuals and schools says,” You see nature has a cycle of its own and when flowers bloom out of turn they affect the entire system because many insects and animal are also dependent on them and untimely flowering could be disastrous for them.”

Sometimes this phenomenon affects the religious beliefs and festivals as well. Swati revealed that in Kerala the Vishu festival is held in April and the people offer fresh Amaltas flowers to the Gods as they bloom in March/April. But they have been blooming since December and the people seem as confused as the butterflies!

Besides Amaltas, in India there has been an untimely flowering of the bright red Palash known as ‘Flame of the Forest’ which is now flowering twice in a year.

Right now, the mango groves in Uttarakhand are also in full bloom, which is very early for their fruition. This has been very harmful for farmers, says Ashish, another scientist working with Seasonwatch. He said this phenomenon has been observed for many years now with the result that most of the crops are destroyed as these flowers fall off without bearing fruit because they are not pollinated.

This phenomenon goes back to at least 2011, as a report in the ‘Times of India’ of December reveals , “Alphonso, the king of mangoes, has fallen victim to climate change …The trees flowered far in excess of everyone's expectations . The devastation has taken us by surprise. I am told it is because of climate change," said Vikhe-Patil then Minister for Agriculture in Maharashtra.

…Sanjay Pansare , director, Fruits Market of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market at Vashi, said they have been receiving a meagre 7,000 boxes everyday as against 60-70 ,000 boxes during the same period last year.”

There seems no escape from this monstrosity because it has become a global phenomenon.

A 2007 report of Mailonline puts it so succinctly that it would be unfair to paraphrase the report.

This report reads, “It is a seasonal rush the bluebells and snowdrops could not resist joining - although they might come to regret it. Across the land, the most unlikely little flowers are poking their way up into the grey December light as another year of chaotic weather convinces them that spring has arrived.

Confused by the warmest April on record, a cold, wet summer and a mild autumn, many plants are flowering early.

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, which monitors 100 plant species, said at least three quarters were appearing earlier each year.

"This year we have lilacs, which are supposed to flower in May, coming into life in November. Our camellias, another spring flower, have also already bloomed," said spokesman Nigel Taylor.

This damage has not only been limited to indoor plants but also wild flowers as the report goes on to mention how the plant species could be damaged in so many unexpected ways.

Guy Barter, of the Royal Horticultural Society said” What is really exercising people though is whether this will happen in the wild flower species. Bluebells in particular are timed to flower in synch with the arrival of trees leafing overhead and providing shelter. If they start coming in without that shelter, the plants will die without spreading their pollen."

This madness has no method but needs to be controlled, if man has to co-exist with his natural surroundings.