MARSH MARIGOLDS ARE BLOOMING

MARSH MARIGOLDS...

...ARE JUST COMING INTO BLOOM...

...ALONG THIS SUNNY HWY. K  DITCH

Monday, 8:00 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Wind NE, strong and constant.  The sky has a low overcast, and there is intermittent rain and ice pellets, the humidity 90%.  The barometer is at 29.58" and still falling.  Today will continue cold and rainy, but it will warm some tomorrow with chances of rain continuing Tuesday and Wednesday.  It should clear by Thursday and continue warm (in the 50's) and clear for the rest of the week and beyond.  I can't wait.
   The marsh marigolds, Caltha palustris, in the Buttercup (Ranunculus)  Family,  just started blooming in roadside ditches on our back roads.  In another week the roadsides will be glorious with these bright yellow flowers. They are native throughout Canada, Alaska, the Upper Midwest and the West Coast, growing in  roadside ditches, along stream banks, and in bogs and other wet habitats.
   My record of bloom dates for marsh marigolds is as follows: 4/30/17;  5/08/16; 4/29/15; 5/22/14; 5/01/13; 4/30/12; 4/25/10; 5/17/09.  These blooming dates are fairly consistent around the First of May except for a couple of late springs.  We don't drive the back roads every day, so the  recorded bloom date may sometimes be late by a few days.
   In my experience, marsh marigolds need several warm days to force them into bloom.