Bloom into May; Researching plants, benefits

 The origin of the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” is from Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it is almost always rainy. In fact, according to Statista in 2000, the United Kingdom had 178.5 days (about six months) of about 1mm (about 0.04 in) of rain. The phrase comes from the English poet and farmer Thomas Tusser. His original words are “sweet April showers, do spring May flowers.” 

     April brings showers to the United Kingdom during this time because of how the jet stream is positioned. A jet stream is a fast and narrow-moving current in the atmosphere. The way the earth rotates causes the winds to move west to east, which is how a jet stream is created. According to NOAA SciJinks, the winds move faster in a jet stream when there is a higher temperature difference.

     Sophomore Jenna Roh said, “My favorite plant is coleus. The leaves come in many different vibrant colors and patterns. They can look beautiful alone or with almost any other plant. They also grow a decent size and sometimes have a flower.”

     Bees also help plants grow and survive. According to the World Animal Foundation, from 2018 to 2019, commercial beekeepers lost 37.7% of their bees. Bees are much needed to grow plants too as they move pollen between plants. Planting native plants and bee gardens can help protect and restore bee and plant communities.

    Unless a flower is able to adapt to colder weather, many don’t bloom until it’s nicer out.  For example, plants like catmint, pansies, primrose, and coral bells can last in cooler climates. Many plants do not bloom during the spring. Plants bloom when the time of the year will suit them the best, according to Modern Farmer. Some factors that play into that are the need for different levels of rain and sunlight.

     In the 1930s, Russian scientists studied plants to find out how they grew. These scientists already had an idea that plants could sense the length of days to tell seasons. Scientists today have proven that plants have an internal circadian clock that detects when the days get longer or when there is more sunlight.

     Scientists believe that it is important to understand when and how a plant blooms because it can help them develop ways to manage when a plant grows. This can help grow food crops, like rice and wheat, grow faste