Flora and Fauna

Hello. This week in the newsletter we get a mix of climate impacts on plants and animals, from Saguaros being toppled by extreme heat in the Southwest, to disinformation around wind power and whales in the East. And make sure to check out the dataset from our science partners at Climate Central, who highlight how later frost in the fall exacerbates pollen for those with allergies.

– Michael Crowe, Editor/Project Manager, Covering Climate Collaborative

Reporting from Our Partners

Cronkite News Arizona: ‘Not normal at all’: Rising temperatures threaten saguaros, other native plants

Native Arizona plants – most notably saguaro cactuses, succulents, palo verde trees and creosote bushes – have adapted over millennia to accommodate the scorching summer highs of the Sonoran Desert, but growing climate change concerns are raising alarms for how well and at what rate these plants will continue to adapt.

A protestor holds a sign saying "Climate Action Now" at an event in Portland, Oregon. Via KGW News.

Charleston Post and Courier: Wind and whales: Scientists raise new questions while GOP claims still wrong, cause harm

Scientists reiterate that underwater noise from offshore wind projects are not “killing whales,” as Trump and others claim. But a new report flags turbines’ unknown impact on an endangered whales’ food source as worthy of attention.

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Sea turtles have been returning to these Louisiana islands, but extreme heat may be an issue

This year’s intense heat on the eroding sand spit – measured at over 130 degrees just two inches above its surface on some days – may be why all eggs in 10 of the 12 nests found this summer did not hatch.

From Our Science Partners

A graph from climate central showing the ride of their climate shift index between june and august

Climate Central: Later Fall Frost Extends Allergy Season

Our warming climate results in more freeze-free days each year — giving plants more time to grow and release allergy-inducing pollen earlier in spring and later into fall.

What we're reading

More great local work from the #SEJAwards, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on forever chemicals in drinking water
In Undark Magazine, How Hop Growers Are Adjusting to a Changing Climate
Canary Media on the biggest investment in the U.S. grid to handle the energy transition and extreme weather

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