Early arrival of pink Tabebuia trees surprises Bengalureans

Bengaluru: Several parts of Bengaluru are surprised to see the early arrival of pink Tabebuia rosea. The quality of the tree is that it entices people of all walks of life. Usually the original timing of full bloom of such trees is in March and April. However, it has bloomed almost five months before its original timing. Several areas of the city, such as Mahadevpura, Indiranagar, and Yelahanka, as well as the Outer Ring Road from Hebbal to Benniganahalli, are laden with these light pink flowers.

As per the experts, this early bloom of flowers has occurred due to climate change and environmental stress. Sankara Rao, a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Ecological Sciences, explains that this is a “phenological change,” meaning it’s a shift in the usual timing of natural events.

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He attributes this change partly to climate change, which can lead to gradual or sudden shifts in blooming times. Rao also points out that pollution could play a role, adding, “A lot of energy goes into flowering, and it doesn’t leave the tree much time to recover and flower again.”

S.V. Hittalmani, former additional director of the state horticulture department, says that environmental stress, like unusual weather patterns, may have sped up the flowering process. Botanist Arun Kumar N has noticed early blooming in the past few years. He explains that drought stress could also be a factor. Bengaluru saw two months of dry weather before recent heavy rains, which might have triggered the trees to flower early.

This early bloom of Tabebuia rosea has made the city beautiful, and people are enjoying it, but one should not forget that it is a sign of climate change, and its impact may be dangerous on the environmental conditions.