HomeMexico City Plus
Mexico City PlusNews

When do the jacarandas bloom in Mexico? Earlier than they used to

MND Staff
By MND Staff
0
Jacaranda tree blooming in between city buildings.
The jacaranda tree is ubiquitous around Mexico City, where it was first brought to Mexico from South America in the 1930s. These days, it is found in other Mexican cities as well. (Alfonso Aguirre/Unsplash)

Every year, Mexico City residents eagerly anticipate the blooming of the capital’s jacaranda trees, signaling the beginning of spring. Typically, these iconic trees in Mexico’s capital bloom a few days before the spring equinox, but in recent years, they’ve got an earlier start. 

According to Dr. Héctor Benavides Meza, a researcher at the National Center for Disciplinary Research, Conservation and Improvement of Forest Ecosystems (CENID-COMEF), the jacarandas’ early blooming affects their growth and increases their vulnerability to drought, pests and diseases.

Tatsugoro Matsumoto watering plants
Japanese landscape architect Tatsugoro Matsumoto introduced one of Mexico City’s defining symbols — the jacaranda tree, which is originally from South America. (Matsumoto family)

“The jacarandas are warning us of climate alteration and of lower environmental humidity, a situation aggravated by the drought in which we find ourselves,” Benavides explained last year as scientists expressed concerns over the early blooming of the capital’s iconic trees.  

According to news outlet Chilango, blooming jacarandas have already been spotted in some areas of Mexico City’s historic center, including around the Palacio de Bellas Artes, as well as in some areas of the Benito Juárez and Cuauhtémoc boroughs. 

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) posted on its official social media channels that early blooming of jacaranda trees reflects a phenomenon known as “early spring,” which UNAM says has been developing over the last 30 years. 

“Today, air and soil are warmer due to the rise of CO2 and greenhouse gases, which advances flowering,” a UNAM infographic explains. 

Early blooming affects other plants, leading to a mismatch with pollinators and reducing fruit and seed production, the UNAM said. However, insects and other pollinators do not depend on jacarandas, since they’re not native to Mexico. 

Jacarandas were brought to Mexico by Japanese immigrant Tatsugoro Matsumoto in the 1930s following a request from President Pascual Ortiz Rubio, who wanted cherry blossoms in Mexico City. Tatsugoro warned that the flower wouldn’t blossom, since winters in Mexico City are not as cold as in Japan.

Instead, he suggested jacarandas, originally from South America.

Through the years, jacarandas have become ornamental trees across Mexico City and other parts of the country due to the vibrant purple color of its flowers.

Follow this map to see jacarandas in Mexico City.

With reports from Chilango

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Burned and smoking stalls at Acapulco's Central Market

Fire damages 108 stalls in Acapulco’s Central Market

MND Staff - 0
Officials identified a short circuit as the possible cause of the worst blaze to hit the market since 2023.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and US President Donald Trump

Under pressure from Trump on cartels, Sheinbaum turns spotlight on US drug use

MND Staff - 0
Responding to Trump's call for Mexico to do more against cartels, Sheinbaum posed a pointed question of her own about drug use, money laundering and weapons north of the border.
A crocodile relaxes in the sun on Playa Bocanegra in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

As Puerto Vallarta grows, officials weigh crocodile relocation plan

MND Staff - 0
Moving the reptiles is only a possibility at this point, but the discussion has arisen after weeks of increased sightings, a fatal croc attack, and 11 dead crocodiles, at the very least two of them at the hands of human beings.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity

VIDEO OF THE WEEK