This is not Good.

[Ysarex]

I've taken better Iris photos than this one, but I do like the backlighting.

The thing that's special about this Iris photo is that I took it yesterday -- in my backyard. There are irises that bloom twice a year and this is one. It blooms in April and again in September. Yesterday was November 20th.

This is way past unusual. I've seen unusual -- this is getting scary. Today I picked peppers, tomatoes and green beans in the garden. So that's just not possible. In my 60 plus years I've hung around with my wife more than half that time and she's a botanist so I've seen a lot of plants and learned a few things. Here in St. Louis we're supposed to be in zone 6a. That iris should have been dead 50 days ago. This much out of whack is not good.

Joe

 

[SquarePeg]

My favorite flower! Ours also had some late blooms this year, the last died off about 2 weeks ago. Here in New England,we've barely had a frost and our Fall was more like Spring for temps. Climate change!

 

[Ysarex]

My favorite flower! Ours also had some late blooms this year, the last died off about 2 weeks ago. Here in New England,we've barely had a frost and our Fall was more like Spring for temps. Climate change!

I like them too. My wife grows a lot of them including this re-bloomer. But it's not supposed to re-bloom in late November! Two years ago a brugmansia that my wife planted came back in Spring after the winter -- again just unheard of. You should have seen it; she called her gardening friends on the phone and they all came over and stood around it and shook there heads and swore and took pictures.... Last year our botanical gardens had to cancel their yearly tulip festival. By the time they had the festival planned all the tulips had bloomed and dropped their flowers. This just ain't right.

Joe

 

[Designer]

What I don't understand is; how did the iris "know" it was going to this mild this late?

 

[Ysarex]

What I don't understand is; how did the iris "know" it was going to this mild this late?

I asked the expert and she gave me an educated guess that length of day kicks in the re-bloom and then they just keep at it until cold sends them into dormancy. Without the cold they don't know when to stop.

Joe

 

[WesternGuy]

Very nice image, even this late in the season. The scary thing is that the weather gods have a way of "getting even". We have had a very nice fall (so far), but all heck is supposed to break loose over the next couple of days - whether it will or not remains to be seen, but there is always that unknown element .

WesternGuy

 

[Gary A.]

What I don't understand is; how did the iris "know" it was going to this mild this late?

I asked the expert and she gave me an educated guess that length of day kicks in the re-bloom and then they just keep at it until cold sends them into dormancy. Without the cold they don't know when to stop.

Joe

Except for rainfall, plants don't know the difference between Fall and Spring.

(PS- I won't tell you what's blooming in my yard.)

 

[astroNikon]

nice iris picture.

FYI, I had red tomatoes just 3 weeks ago. now it's covered in snow.

 

[Ysarex]

nice iris picture.

FYI, I had red tomatoes just 3 weeks ago. now it's covered in snow.

I still have red tomatoes -- going to cook three of them for breakfast right now.

Joe

 

[pgriz]

On the weekend, my wife and I drove from Montreal to the Eastern Townships to scout out a country restaurant she was thinking of taking a group to, and on the way, we remarked on how green the grass looked. Temperature was about 6-7C, whereas at this time normal is around -7-8C. Today, we had rain all day, whereas normally we would be having 10-15 inches of snow given the amount of moisture that was passing through. Tonight, it "might" get to freezing. Local weather isn't climate, but we're been setting record high temperatures for December at least six times this December. This following a November with a number of new "high" readings as well. The local squirrels are getting so fat because the ground is still not frozen and they keep on eating until everything is covered with snow and ice. If this warm weather continues we'll have an obesity epidemic among them and they won't be able to squeeze into their winter burrows and nests. I don't know whether to worry on their behalf or be prepared to be amused at their plight. Shovel still has not seen any use. I'm telling you, things are not normal.

 

[Ysarex]

On the weekend, my wife and I drove from Montreal to the Eastern Townships to scout out a country restaurant she was thinking of taking a group to, and on the way, we remarked on how green the grass looked. Temperature was about 6-7C, whereas at this time normal is around -7-8C. Today, we had rain all day, whereas normally we would be having 10-15 inches of snow given the amount of moisture that was passing through. Tonight, it "might" get to freezing. Local weather isn't climate, but we're been setting record high temperatures for December at least six times this December. This following a November with a number of new "high" readings as well. The local squirrels are getting so fat because the ground is still not frozen and they keep on eating until everything is covered with snow and ice. If this warm weather continues we'll have an obesity epidemic among them and they won't be able to squeeze into their winter burrows and nests. I don't know whether to worry on their behalf or be prepared to be amused at their plight. Shovel still has not seen any use. I'm telling you, things are not normal.

Hey! Where have you been? I've missed you! Glad to hear from you.

Joe

 

[Gary A.]

Yesterday I purchased a few tomatoes, herbs and peppers at Home Depot. I'll plant them this weekend.

 

[astroNikon]

Yesterday I purchased a few tomatoes, herbs and peppers at Home Depot. I'll plant them this weekend.

If you want to come up here and plant my garden for me now you are more than welcomed to.

though, we actually are expecting snow this afternoon, and freezing temps.
We are expecting warmer (40's) temps starting Sunday again.

 

[SquarePeg]

Nothing but rain and warm temps (for New England in December) here. Eerily similar to last December which then turned into Snowmageddon in Jan/Feb/Mar.

 

[pgriz]

On the weekend, my wife and I drove from Montreal to the Eastern Townships to scout out a country restaurant she was thinking of taking a group to, and on the way, we remarked on how green the grass looked. Temperature was about 6-7C, whereas at this time normal is around -7-8C. Today, we had rain all day, whereas normally we would be having 10-15 inches of snow given the amount of moisture that was passing through. Tonight, it "might" get to freezing. Local weather isn't climate, but we're been setting record high temperatures for December at least six times this December. This following a November with a number of new "high" readings as well. The local squirrels are getting so fat because the ground is still not frozen and they keep on eating until everything is covered with snow and ice. If this warm weather continues we'll have an obesity epidemic among them and they won't be able to squeeze into their winter burrows and nests. I don't know whether to worry on their behalf or be prepared to be amused at their plight. Shovel still has not seen any use. I'm telling you, things are not normal.

Hey! Where have you been? I've missed you! Glad to hear from you.

Joe

Hi Joe! Thanks for asking! This little thing called "life" keeps me busy. Last weekend's adventure was having the pressure relief valve on the hot water tank malfunction and drain the tank onto the basement floor. This happened during the night, and the only thing that kept it from becoming a greater disaster than it did was the light sleep of my wife who woke up thinking "something's not right". I was promptly dispatched (because her department is the sensing, my department is the fixin'), and discovered a good portion of the basement under water. Since my home office is down there along with the computer equipment, etc., it was a long weekend drying everything off. Last Monday, the plumber came to replace the valve and check that there was nothing else that was wrong - and there wasn't. Still it's kinda incredible how much moisture is present when a hot water tank is let loose. And no, I didn't take any pictures.