Cities are often warmer than surrounding rural areas due to high impervious cover (cement, asphalt, etc.), a phenomenon known as the “urban heat island effect”. This effect has been shown to cause plants in urban environments to leaf out earlier in the spring than in rural habitat. This change in leaf-out and blooming time could have important ecological consequences, particular for animals dependent on plant species.<\/p>\n
For more, here<\/a> is an article describing the study and its results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cities are often warmer than surrounding rural areas due to high impervious cover (cement, asphalt, etc.), a phenomenon known as the “urban heat island effect”. This effect has been shown to cause plants in urban environments to leaf out earlier … Continue reading