A week ago, we enjoyed 80-plus degrees. Last night, we dipped down into single digits for a low. Of course, Montana is widely known for these extreme and often abrupt swings in temperature. The state still holds the world record for the greatest change in 24 hours. This occurred in Loma on January 15, 1972, when the temperature there rose 103 degrees, from -54 degrees Fahrenheit to 49 degrees.
Our
changes are weird enough that many Arctic species of plants, which handily
survive the long, bitter cold there, would perish during one of Montana’s wild
swings.
Today,
I am sharing the fate of two geraniums at the Hegman household. One lucky
geranium lounged in the temperature-controlled sunroom for the spring and
summer and remains there as of this writing. The other rather took a beating
for the same length of time at the edge of the back deck. Sadly, this unlucky
plant did not get toted inside before our sudden winter struck.
A
bleak end for a non-native species.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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