Sealed with a kiss, or not

It looks as if climate change has caused havoc amongst lovers of all ages  in the Czech Republic as May 1 is their equivalent of Valentine’s Day.

True love or romantic nonsense?

This is when, according to tradition, couples  kiss under blossoming cherry trees to proclaim to each other the strength of their relationship.

The problem however is that cherry trees like many other representatives of Mother Nature have moved with the times and have started to bloom earlier in the year.

Unlike mistletoe, Czech mates can hardly cut a sprig of cherry blossom, put in  the fridge and then bring it out on the right day, so although some cherries were and continue to blossom in parts of the country, other parts weren’t so lucky.

If this situation continues in the coming years, it seems obvious that, as was the case with some couples this year, that rather than wait for the beginning of May, lovers who want to plight their troth might have to do so earlier to take advantage of the arrival of the blossoms!

Climate change can hit fruit pickers

Although some might say that this is all a bit of nonsense and it doesn’t matter, there is a real problem in as much as if commercial fruit farms see early blossoms and then there is a cold snap, there could (and has been) a significant drop in productivity.

Although not that well known internationally there are almost 5,000 producers of wine in the Czech Republic and already some of their vineyards have been hit by this exact  problem with grapes freezing on the vines.