Producers/Hosts: Hazel Stark and Joe Horn
Poplar Buds
Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at mainelyphenology.wordpress.com
Poplar, quaking aspen, popple… call them what you will. Long before the snow has completely melted out of the forests and fields of Maine, before the wood frogs wake up and sing their unmelodious tunes, and while other tree buds are just beginning to plump with verdant life, the fast growing poplar tree’s buds are swollen, fluffy, and will burst at any moment. They are one of the earliest trees in our Northern tier forests to shake off the cold and snow of winter and begin to take advantage of the increasing light, warmth and moisture of early spring.