It’s spring in December for northern Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — A few days ago, my kids were playing outside in t-shirts (this should be the surprising part of the story) but they came inside because they were being pestered by wasps – in December!

I took to Facebook to see what other surprises local families are experiencing during this holiday heat wave. 

Some commenters on the Weber/Davis County moms Facebook page said things like “My cat has started shedding,” “My husband is golfing…in Logan,” “My peas popped up in my garden” and “my son got stung by a wasp.”

“I have Swiss Chard still growing.  I can still get Swiss Chard outside.”  said Amy Lynn Barrett from Layton. “And I just found a mosquito in my house.”

It’s been mixed reviews. Many love the fact that we’re not experiencing freezing temperatures, others don’t love the pests and they are relenting that their kids haven’t been able to build a snow man. 

 

Here’s the problem…

Above all, there are some potential issues with all the bugs and plants sticking around.

“We have these plants that are blooming right now but then if it all the sudden freezes, it could kill those plants or just messes up the dormancy cycle that they’re in.” said Justen Smith, state director of Utah State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Especially with our fruit trees it’s hard to know what’s going to happen. If it stays warm and fruit trees start blooming early and then we get a freeze, then they’re wiped out for the year.”

Luckily Utah winter weather can shift dramatically, but if we don’t see that happen, there will be some repercussions come spring time.

“Mainly I think we’re going to see  a lot more weeds and we’re going to see more of the harmful insects that normally come later if we don’t have those hard freezes that normally knock those back a bit.” Smith said. “So that’s going to mean more herbicides and pesticides.  They’re going to have to use more of that -and earlier- to combat those invasive insects and weeds.”

But the part that’s the most concerning for Utah is the lack of water – and we’re getting down to the wire for a white Christmas.

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Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.

Other stories to read in December:

Holiday gardening gift ideas from the KSL Greenhouse team

Where Christmas trees come from and how to care for them