Black Frost 2010

[Bobbleton]

If anyone hasn't been out yet, it appears that Monday night/Tuesday morning there was a "black frost" in some areas of the pines. I'm curious to see if anyone else has noticed this in other areas.

Oak species were hit hardest . . . those areas with open canopy and away from wetlands is were it was apparently coldest.

Here are some of the pictures I took today:

Lyonia

K. latifolia

Quercus ilicifolia

Even pitch pine new growth was affected:

As opposed to normal:

Quercus marilandica

Gaylussacia frondosa

ilicifolia (scrub/bear oak) carnage was widespread:

Some sassafras was affected as well

Q. alba (White Oak)

Those plants with older (less tender) leaves and nearer water were spared, save some heavy wilting.

Nyssa sylvatica

Ilex opaca

Ilex glabra

As far as I know, the last time this happened was 1992, and the ecological ripples were significant. Which is again why I'm interested: has anyone else seen this?

 

[bobpbx]

I do believe that I did notice the same thing around my area. It was limited to the extreme shoots. I was with Ted Gordon in mid april and he predicted this because everything is about 2 weeks early in the bloom time.

 

[46er]

The new growth on the tops of our dogwoods look similar, but I have no idea what caused it. Nothing else that I can see appears to have been affected.

 

[dragoncjo]

Bob how are your pinesnakes holding up out there after this?

 

[Bobbleton]

Bob its funny you mention that - I've been meaning to pick his brain about this. Doesn't surprise me that he called it.

Chris - just a little shelter is all they'd need to get through it. They appear unaffected. I think the animals directly dependent on the insect population would be affected most. Rough greens will probably take a hit since they're losing potential prey and most of their camo/cover.

The only thing particulaly damaging about that night was low humidity/lack of (protective) white frost, so probably all it directly killed was new plant growth and invertebrates that didn't take cover for the night.

 

[PancoastDrifter]

Now that I read this yesterday, I am seeing this everywhere! Miles of it...

 

[LARGO]

This is quite odd, having just read the other day the bit on
Black frosts in PB Odyssey by Howard Boyd.
(Door prize, Lines on Pines)
It is all dead in line with the chapter.
I cut the lawn Monday (My lawn is a big sucker)
Tuesday morn', it and my car were quite frosted up.
The first thing I thought of was that chapter.
Yes, some greenery suffered.

g.

 

[bobpbx]

This is quite odd, having just read the other day the bit on
Black frosts in PB Odyssey by Howard Boyd.
(Door prize, Lines on Pines)
It is all dead in line with the chapter.
I cut the lawn Monday (My lawn is a big sucker)
Tuesday morn', it and my car were quite frosted up.
The first thing I thought of was that chapter.
Yes, some greenery suffered.

g.

That is a great read, that book. It gave me a sense of peace and cadence when I read it.

 

[Boyd]

I got hit by the frost here on two different days, but the worst was the most recent one. It has killed a lot of new shoots on the laurel bushes, plus foliage on some little oak saplings. Too bad, but I gather that this is not unheard of during May...

 

[Teegate]

Jessica and I were in Penn State Forest today not far from the Haine's Blueberry fields and Bear Swamp Hill, and the results of the frost was evident there also.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

Looking around my woods some more, the Laurel bushes really sustained some major damage. Interestingly, it didn't damage the buds which are in the process of blossoming. But it killed almost all the new foliage and many large bushes are now ugly and brown. This makes me sad because they're some of my favorite plants and were on track for a really nice year.

 

[woodjin]

Jessica and I were in Penn State Forest today not far from the Haine's Blueberry fields and Bear Swamp Hill, and the results of the frost was evident there also.

Guy

Did you find that old garbage/dump stuff i mentioned to you?

 

[Bobbleton]

yeah as time goes by, the affected areas become more obvious . . . but there's still some life out there . . .

 

[Teegate]

Did you find that old garbage/dump stuff i mentioned to you?

We were not exactly in that area. I keep forgetting to look for that.

Guy