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9/26/2024

Today is the first day of my tree observation. Leaves are green and smooth with noted lobes, veins, sinus margins and short petiole.

Venation: Pinnate compound

The trunk is relatively healthy however you can tell that the abscission has already began since there are loose leaves around the tree.

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It's been three weeks since I posted the first picture of my tree. As you can see the leaves are beginning to change color from green to orange and yellow with noted lobes, veins, sinus margins and short petioles.

Venation : Pinnate compound.

The trunk looks healthy however you can tell by this picture that the abscission has taken place and this time there are more loose leaves than there were compared to the first picture.

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It's been a month since I posted the first picture of my tree. As you can see, the leaves have completely evolved into orange and yellow hue with noted lobes, veins, sinus margins and short petioles.   Venation: Pinnate compound. The trunk looks healthy however you can tell already that the abscission is settling in and pretty soon there won't be any leaves left on the tree.                      

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It's been exactly two months since the first picture of my tree. As you can see abscission has settled in and my tree stands alone without any leaves. The trunk and the branches look healthy and sturdy. In comparison to the previous pictures I have also noticed that the lines on the trunk and more pronounced.

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It's been three months since the first picture of my tree. If you look closely you can tell that the buds are opposite. And if you look even closer you can see that there are bud scales as well. The trunk and the branches look healthy and sturdy. By the look of the tree you can tell the abscission has settled in a while ago.

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It's been four months since the first picture of my tree was uploaded. As the cold weather approached the snow followed. So far we did not have a lot of snow which is definitely beneficial for our tree. As we already know that snow can significantly impact a tree by weighing down its branches thus potentially causing them weigh down and eventually break off the branches. As I closely inspect my tree i could tell that there was minor damages from the snow with a few branches breaking off at the tip however overall condition of my tree looks preserved and most of it's branches are intact. Freezing temperatures can also impact our trees by causing bark damage, root damage, frost heaving and disrupt nutrient transport however with that said tree also adapt to cold weather and most enter a state of dormancy by shedding their trees and slowing down their metabolic process just like we see in the picture. Some trees produce natural compounds that act as antifreeze lowering the freezing point of their sap. Also tree bark is very important because it provides insulation to protect the living tissues beneath which we could also observe on my tree as well.

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My tree is Royal Burgundy Japanese flowering cherry. The tree species is Prunus serrulate. It is predicted to bloom last week of March through the first week of April. Male trees usually tend to flower earlier than female trees. The flowers of this tree are typically hermaphroditic, meaning each individual flower contains both the male (stamens) and female (pistil) parts, allowing for self-pollination. However, while this allows the tree to potentially pollinate itself, cross-pollination with another cherry tree can often lead to better fruit production.

In terms of gender, the tree itself does not have a single male or female sex—it has both male and female parts in each blossom, but to clarify, the tree does need pollen from another cherry tree to produce fruit.

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If you look close enough you could see that formed buds are starting to open however they did not fully blood which is what is expected. When I compare my tree with those that are around they all are very similar with formed buds that are ready to open and bloom. Buds in plants are undeveloped leafy offshoots that can develop into vegetative structures or reproductive structures and they are crucial for plant growth and reproduction. Some of the functions of the buds include vegetative growth, reproductive growth, adaptation to the environment.

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Auxins, a plant hormone primarily regulate plant growth and development by promoting cell elongation and division, influencing root formation, and playing a role in phototropism and fruit development. Auxin's functions are as follows;

Cell Elongation and Growth, Cell Division and Differentiation, Root Development, Apical Dominance, Phototropism and gravitropism, Fruit development, Senescence and abscission.

Cytokinin are plant hormones, derivates of the purine adenine, that play a crucial role in plant growth and development, particularly in cell division, shoot and root growth and delaying senescence. Key functions of Cytokinins are as follows;

Cell division, Shoot and Root Growth, Leaf Senescence Delay, Apical Dominance, stress response, nutrient uptake, Vascular Development and plant microbe interactions.

Based on my close observation of the tree I could visualize that auxins and cytokinins have already been activated. Fruit development is in progress or in this case flower development. This tree is full of auxins because auxins are primarily produced in young shoot organs like developing leaves and buds and as we can see there is an infinite number of buds on the branches ready to bloom.

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As you can see my tree is blooming. The flowers have a softer pink hue with scattered green leafs surrounding them.

New York City has numerous pollinator species including bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, beetles and hummingbirds which feed on pollen and nectar. Theses insects and birds help transfer pollen between flowers, which is essential for plant reproduction.

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Wow what a transformation from before. The flowers have totally transformed into these perfectly formed leaves. As leaves emerge, plants begin sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis, which is a process that converts CO2 into glucose and releases oxygen. This sequestration can have a positive impact on climate change by reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, a major greenhouse gas, and potentially mitigating the effects of global warming.

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The month of June is considered a post-blood stage. During this stage you notice that the flowering has ended and the petals have all dropped. As you can see on the picture there are no more flowers.. The leaves are fully developed. Foliage is at its peak density. usually they leaves begin to fade slightly however this process hasn't occurred yet with this tree. June is also the time where we would notice if the tree has any fruit formed. Unfortunately tiny black or dark red cherries are not observed yet but not to worry we still have time because historically the fruit might be visible by mid to late June.

Long term phenology date is extremely valuable to scientists. By tracking the climate change with the help of long term data wil show us how early springs or longer growing seasons reflect warming trends. Another important aspect is understanding and studying the ecosystem health and biodiversity. If plants blood before pollinators arrive or birds migrate after insects peak mismatches can harm entire species. Agricultural and Forestry Planning also helps predict optimal planting and harvest times. Long term phenology will inform us of crop modeling and forest management. Of course after all the date is collected we need to validate it to better improve the ecological forecasting models.

I believe that global warming can potentially and is some ways already has changed the phenology of my tree. We already witnessed earlier spring phenophases such as the budburst and flowering which in my opinion shifter earlier by at least 1-3 weeks due to the temperature changes. If this continues warmer late winters and early springs will trigger premature leaf out and bloom therefore increasing the chance of frost risk. We all know that Longer warm seasons will result in earlier leaf out and later senescence which could lead to longer photosynthetic periods potentially increasing the growth if water and nutrients are adequate. Global warming will also increase the vulnerability to Drought and Heat, alter autumns color and timing and may potentially allow pests and pathogens to overwinter and spread. With that said global warming may potentially impact the Royal Burgundy Japanese Flowering Cherry by early blooming in February or March which will result in reduced bloom quality and therefore will require irrigation and pest control.