Early Jacarandas

A couple weeks ago I wrote that I had seen my first jacaranda tree in bloom.  Last week I was downtown, and I saw more trees in blossom in the Alameda, the park next to the Palace of Fine Arts.

The jacarandas usually bloom in March and April, but during my winter trips to Mexico City, prior to moving here, I would usually see the first blossoms in February.  However, I have read that this year some of the trees began to flower in the middle of January.  Scientists are concerned and are studying this early-bloom phenomenon.  They suspect that it is the result of climate change.  The flowers attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, but there is fear that a disruption of the normal blossom schedule could lead to a decline of the bird and insect populations and lead to the flowers not being pollinated.  Changes could also make the trees more susceptible to pests.

We have already seen the palm trees of Mexico City dying by the hundreds.  The Canary Island date palms, the species most common in the city, is weakened by higher temperatures and has fallen prey to the red palm weevil.  Let's hope that nothing similar happens to the beloved jacarandas of Mexico City.