Light Pollution is Disrupting the Seasonal Rhythms of Plants and Trees, Lengthening Pollen Season in U.S. Cities

Posted Jul 29, 2022

City lights that blaze all night are profoundly disrupting urban plants’ phenology – shifting when their buds open in the spring and when their leaves change colors and drop in the fall. New research coauthored by Iowa State University Associate Professor of Environmental Science Yuyu Zhou shows how nighttime lights are lengthening the growing season in cities, which can affect everything from allergies to local economies.

Read Zhou’s’ full article in The Conversation here.