It seems as if every flower is doing it's best to bloom all at once. To those who do not understand how different bloom-times are supposed to work, it seems like a boon.
Flowers! Flowers Everywhere!
What I worry about,
Right now a local Aster known as Crown and Beard is blooming a full month early. Normally this wouldn't even start budding out until mid June. It's one of the last flowers to bloom in the late fall.
It's a very popular plant with all pollinators.
Right now is the time for Tickseed and Prickly Pear Blooms. Crown and Beards should be a ways off. Coming into bloom just before Wax Golden Weed.
Already the Echinaceas are blooming as well. Though normally we don't see them until June either.
If the Wax Goldenweeds go early too, and these plants do not keep blooming til the frost, we could have a dearth in the fall, when most bee hives are building up reserves for the winter.
Here is what a Wax Golden Weed looks like below. It has a sort of sunflower appearance, but has a more in common with a succulent, with thick fleshy, serrated leaves. This plant did well in spite of the drought last year. Though not surprising, considering it appears to be made for more arid conditions. It has a tendency to bloom in the driest, hottest part of the year--which is August through September.
So far, I have not yet seen Goldenrod blooming. Another late season forage plant. The mint and the vitex seem to be right on time thus far. But I am already finding clumps of Bitter Sneeze Weed blooming. Another flower out that has bloomed early. It was one of the few flowers that bloomed through the latter part of the drought last year.
It's strange though. Normally when we see crown and beards blooming, the bumble bees are built up and are all over them. I have seen few Bombus this season. I know the drought last year didn't help.
I haven't seen as many leaf cutter bees either.
You can see many of the plants listed here are June Bloomers normally,
except for the bitterweed or bitter sneeze weed. That normally blooms in July-September. It's blooming in my backyard now. I noticed it while mowing the pasture. Mullein is also already blooming as well--another July plant. The Green Milkweed is already going to seed.
I heard a nasty rumor that the flowers are blooming and are fading faster than usual. That came from someone in SE Oklahoma, so I am not sure if that is true here. The mild, warm weather has lead to many blooms lasting a long time, especially on Catalpa trees. However it made me think of desertification. When flowers suddenly spring up in mild, moist weather and fade quickly. Given the problems we are having with trees due to the long term stress caused by drought and fungus, it makes me wonder what this area will look like in 10 or 15 years.
More like Tucumcari and less like Central Oklahoma