Late Bloomers - Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum edule) Blooming Late August

Observation by Katie Spellman:

Girl Scout Troop 78 in Fairbanks observed these highbush cranberry flowers popping open this weekend while hiking on a campout. They are using the buds they had prepared for next spring now in late August. The area was a south-facing hill under a birch forest canopy with Viburnum edule (highbush cranberry) dominating the understory. Approximately 3-5% of the bushes had flowers popping open.

Comments from LEO Editors:

According to the Alaska Climate Research Center, the summer of 2019 has been very warm across Alaska, as seen in the statewide temperature departure map below. The average monthly temperature in Fairbanks during June was 63.52°F, which was 3.1°F above normal. In July, the average temperature was 65.98°F, which is 3.5°F above normal.

Another observer from the Fairbanks area describes some of the other changes coinciding with warm temperatures, including early arrival of migrating birds, early mosquito hatch, and dangerous spring ice.