Southern California jacarandas bloom weeks early after March heat

Southern California's iconic jacaranda trees are flowering weeks ahead of schedule this year, a shift experts are linking to the region's record heat wave last March.

The trees normally flower in May and June; this year's late-April start is being attributed to accelerated plant development driven by unusually warm spring temperatures across the region.

Michael King, Urban Forestry Program Coordinator for the City of Pasadena, said the purple-flowering trees broke from their usual schedule this spring. "Typically, they usually start to bloom around May, June, but I think we saw them start to bloom at the end of April," King told ABC7 Los Angeles.

Experts are linking the timing to a record heat wave that swept the region in March. Higher temperatures accelerate plant development, compressing the jacaranda bloom cycle ahead of its normal window.

An estimated 70,000 jacaranda trees grow across Los Angeles. The species is native to South America and was first introduced to California in the late 1800s as part of a beautification project, according to ABC7.

King said the region's climate closely mirrors the trees' natural habitat. "The theory as to why they thrive in Southern California is due to similarities in a sub-tropical dry, arid environment," he said.

The trees have drawn steady public interest over the decades. "People become curious about them. It is an attractive exotic plant... it's common for nurseries to carry these because of growth and demand," King said.

Some jacaranda trees also produce a small pre-bloom before the main flowering period, King noted, meaning blossoms could remain visible well into the summer months.