Alternate-side parking regulations resume in New York City today after a 22-day hiatus, which can only mean one thing — the snow has finally melted.
What effect this extended snow cover will have on botanical life remains to be seen. On one hand, the blanket of snow buffers the soil from the coldest arctic air and preserves soil warmth; on the other hand, it reflects the sunlight that would otherwise fall on and warm south-facing slopes — the slopes that usually produce the earliest blooms of snowdrops and crocus.
I saw a few clumps of daffodil foliage breaking through the soil surface in Staten Island this weekend, but have yet to see anything actually blooming. In years past, we have seen snowdrops (Galanthus) blooming by now. Here's a photo from 2010.
Snowdrops blooming at the New York Botanical Garden in 2010