Thoreau and the Weather

from the New York Times

Continuing our discussion about the weather, the New York Times had a very interesting article last Thursday about bloom times in Concord, Mass.  It seems that Henry David Thoreau (remember him, Walden Pond?) kept meticulous records about the first flowers, leaves, and migratory birds of spring.  In all, he kept track of over 300 species!  His records provide us with evidence of a widespread shift toward an earlier spring.  Not all species are early, but some now appear as much as three weeks before they did in the 1850's. 

The authors of the article tell us that it's not the species that are blooming earlier that should concern us, it's the ones that are not appearing at all.  You can read the entire article here.

Does anyone know of a similar record of first flowers, leaves, and migratory birds of spring for the Memphis area?

Spring Days

Claude Monet - Three Pots of Tulips

“They were pleasant spring days, in which the winter of man’s discontent was thawing as well as the earth, and the life that had lain torpid began to stretch itself.”
―Henry David Thoreau, Walden