INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Every spring, the streets of Mexico&s capital are painted purple with the flowering of thousands of jacaranda trees
Their spectacular colors not only attract the eyes of residents and tourists, but also birds, bees and butterflies that find food and
shelter in them.But this year something changed.Some jacarandas began blooming in early January, when they normally awaken in spring
The early onset bloom has set off alarm bells among residents and scientists in Mexico City, where the trees have become an iconic,
photogenic mainstay of city streets.Local scientists have begun investigating how widespread the early-bloom phenomenon is, but they point
to climate change as the first culprit.&We&ve always seen the jacaranda beginning to bloom towards the end of March, in spring, when we see
the flowers change to violet,& said Constantino Gonzalez, a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change Research
at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).&They are starting to flower in January, February, which is winter, when it is not
yet their time,& said the biologist of 48 years.Gonzalez explained that in order to draw a correlation between climate change and the early
flowering of jacarandas his team needs a representative sample and compare blooms year to year
To do this, he has started to lead a group of young people who are collecting data throughout the city and using satellite imagery.He noted
rising temperatures caused winter in the Mexican capital to end early this year, in mid-January, instead of late March when it is supposed
to end.&One would like the jacarandas to bloom all year round, they brighten the city,& said Alex Estrada, a resident of the Mexican
capital, while observing a tree that was beginning to turn purple.&But something is not right here: jacarandas in winter?& he wondered
& ReutersThe post Early jacaranda bloom sparks debate about climate change in Mexico first appeared on Ariana News.
