Extreme weather throws plants and butterflies off schedule differently by season
An HG, Kim MS, Sohn JD, Kim DH, Jung JY
Phenology
The butterflies you spot drinking nectar in your garden depend on flowers blooming at the right moment, and this study shows that a single heat wave or cold snap can throw that timing off far more than slow year-to-year warming does.
Scientists tracked flowering plants and butterflies in an old forest for 17 years and found that unusual weather events, like sudden heat spikes or cold snaps, push plant and butterfly timing in opposite directions compared to gradual climate warming. In spring the two groups mostly just shifted by different amounts, but in summer one group would sometimes speed up while the other slowed down. When the plants and butterflies stayed better synced up with each other, there were more types of butterflies around, but only at certain times of year.
Key Findings
17-year dataset (2009-2025) showed extreme weather events shifted phenology in the opposite direction from gradual climate anomalies, especially for butterflies
In spring, plant-butterfly divergence was mostly a difference in magnitude; in summer, divergence often meant one group advanced while the other delayed
Phenological overlap between plants and butterflies stayed stable despite climate anomalies and extreme weather, but greater overlap was linked to higher butterfly diversity in a season-dependent way
chevron_right Technical Summary
A 17-year study of an old-growth forest found that weird weather extremes, not just gradual climate shifts, scramble the timing between flowers and butterflies in ways that depend heavily on the season, and plants and butterflies staying in sync matters most for butterfly diversity.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Season-dependent phenological responses and implications for co-occurring plants and butterflies under climate anomalies and extreme weather events.
Despite extensive work on climate-driven phenological shifts, research has focused primarily on early-season events, single metrics and gradual shifts in mean climate, limiting insights into phenol...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Temperature regulation in plants: From molecular mechanisms to climate-resili...
The wheat in your bread and the vegetables in your garden depend on precise temperature cues to know when to flower and set seed — and scientists decoding ex...
Climate adaptation in plants refers to the physiological and evolutionary mechanisms through which plants adjust to changing environmental conditions, including temperature shifts, altered precipitation patterns, and seasonal variations. Understanding these processes is essential for plant science
arrow_forward Explore topic