This February is the warmest on record and spring has come early, as is especially evident in Poland's botanical gardens, like the Powsin Botanical Gardens of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN).
For a comparison, this is a tweet from the Botanical Gardens at the same time in 2021 - a thaw was only just under way:
However, the early spring brings its risks for the gardens, as the weather may "deceive" the early buds. Shakepeare's most famous Sonnet ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?") warns us that the May weather in England can threaten new buds - with the wind.
The Polish translation by Stanisław Barańczak adjusts this reference to Poland's climate warning that the "frosty May winds" may still damage the budding trees:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Do czego cię przyrównać? Do dnia w pełni lata?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Piękność twoja jest bardziej i świeża, i stała.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Jeszcze w maju wiatr nieraz mrozem pąk omiata...
This year the danger may come in April or even March...
Source: PAP
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