An extended period of hot, dry weather is affecting the harvest outlook and impacting grain growth. Even the wild berry season, which was off to a good start, may be in peril.
The cherry blossoms along the Aura riverbank are a huge draw for tourists and photo enthusiasts every year around mid-May. The city's head gardener said he was amazed by the sight of the flowers budding this time of year.
According to Simo Laine, head horticulturalist at botanical garden in Turku, southwest Finland, it could well be the first time that the blooms have made an appearance in the country as early as January.
Spring blossoms, dusty streets, distant fires and a lack of rain combine to create hazardous respiratory conditions.
Alder catkins (the pollen-rich flowers on alder trees) haven't reached their peak yet, but there are a lot of them. There can be four to five million pollen particles in a single catkin.
Littoinen Lake made headlines in 2017 when it was chemically treated because it was overwhelmed with phosphorous and algae. Now there is a new problem.
As many allergy-sufferers across Finland may have already suspected, birch pollen levels were very high on Wednesday, according to the University of Turku.
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