Skunk cabbage, daffodils provide an early sign of spring

Apparently, Punxsutawney Phil wasn’t far off with his early spring forecast.

The unusually mild weather is causing some plants to “break bud” or bloom a week or two early in the region.

Average temperatures in Allegheny and surrounding counties in January were much above the normal range at 35.2 degrees — 6.8 degrees above normal, according to Lee Hendricks, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon Township.

February’s temperatures so far are on the high side of normal at 34.4 degrees, 4.2 degrees above normal, he added.

Biologists, horticulturalists, naturalists and backyard gardeners alike have been noticing the green shoots of daffodils and other plants a week or two early.

“We’ve had a mild winter, so it makes sense for some of the plants to have ‘bud break’ (opening of buds) earlier,” said Keith Kaiser, executive director and a horticulturalist at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden in North Fayette.

In some areas in the southeastern U.S., spring leaf out is running more than three weeks ahead, according to the National Phenology Network. The nonprofit provides information on the timing of seasonal events in plants and animals. Parts of Oklahoma City are 11 days early, and parts of Washington, D.C., are 24 days early, according to a recent report.

Charles Bier of Buffalo Township, senior director of conservation science at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, estimates the region is running a week or two early, depending on the plant.

“We are a little advanced here in the season, but we are not the same as the southeastern part of the state where people have seen daffodils in bloom,” he said.

Although everyone in the Pittsburgh area is reporting the emergence of the daffodil greens, there’s been no report of flowers yet.

Skunk cabbage, so named because of its smelly leaves, is one of the earliest native plants to bloom. There have been reports of skunk cabbage blooming in Allegheny and Westmoreland since late January, according to Bier, which is about two weeks early.

The plant is found in wetland areas, including Harrison Hills in Harrison.

Non-native, invasive species such as poison hemlock are up earlier this year, too, Bier said, noting that some were out in Springdale.

The lack of snow cover is an additional factor pushing the emergence of plants.

Frick Nature Center is reporting the small and delicate white snow drops a couple of weeks early at Schenley Plaza in Oakland, the Anchor Green Garden in Mt. Washington and the Highland Park entry garden, according to Angela Yuele, a horticulturist with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

Yuele noticed them blooming in early February, noting that they usually bloom at the end of the month.

Even with the still-cold ground in the forested areas of Laurel Highlands, skunk cabbage emerged early there as well, said Rachael Mahony, environmental education specialist for Forbes State Forest and other wild lands in Westmoreland, Somerset and Fayette counties.

But the cold nights might be preventing other plants from emerging earlier, Mahony said.

However, the generally milder winter has led to the cancelation of some forest public outings such as snowshoeing that require snow cover.

Given the mild winters the past two years, Mahony said, “We won’t be able to advertise snow hikes. Instead, we’re going to start offering cabin fever hikes.”