An unseasonably warm spring, after a record-breaking warm winter, is already straining plants and trees across the Front Range. Many trees budded out early, and bulbs — like daffodils and tulips — are blossoming early across Denver.
Due to the lack of snowpack, experts and local water managers are already preparing for a deep drought this summer. That not only raises concerns for municipal water and agriculture, but will impact residential yards as well.
“There is a chance that we’re going to see severe drought stress and plant death this year,” said Chris Hilgert, horticulture state specialist at Colorado State University Extension. “Not just trees and shrubs, but potentially lawns and perennial crops like strawberries and raspberries and grapes and fruit trees.”…