This chart of Japanese cherry blossom seasons going back to 812AD seems to support the onset date of the current climate change cycle as happening during the industrial revolution. of the mid-1800's.

Another hockey stick. Also reminding that the Medieval Warm Period was not globally uniform. Warmer in the north Atlantic region, but not in the Far East (though data back then was kind of spotty).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Warm_Period

Cool take. Saw fully blooming cherry blossom trees in a small German town just last week and did the Washington DC peak bloom trip with my kids this time last year. Hadn’t realized we’d have had to plan same trip for April during earlier centuries but it completely makes sense

In my ~25 years in the DC area I saw the noticeable advancement of the cherry blossom peak and a corresponding shift in the fall foliage

I can tell you the maple syrup season has gotten earlier by at least a couple weeks in Pennsylvania as well. When I was a kid back in the 60's, we never put a tap in the trees before the first week of March. Now, if you aren't tapped by the middle of February you will miss at least one hard run* of sap.

*Maple trees produce the most sap when it freezes at night and gets warm in the day and the earlier in the season syrup will usually be a lighter (in color) grade and considered better than later product.

2 hours ago, npts2020 said:

I can tell you the maple syrup season has gotten earlier by at least a couple weeks in Pennsylvania as well. When I was a kid back in the 60's, we never put a tap in the trees before the first week of March. Now, if you aren't tapped by the middle of February you will miss at least one hard run* of sap.

*Maple trees produce the most sap when it freezes at night and gets warm in the day and the earlier in the season syrup will usually be a lighter (in color) grade and considered better than later product.

It appears so. I found this graphic of how tapping season is shifting earlier with rising average temperatures over time.

https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/maple-syrup-season

Charts I've found so far go back to the 70's.

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by StringJunky