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Photo by Thad Allender

Battered by frost and a week of cool temperatures, tulips droop in front of Smith Hall at Kansas University where Amanda Roden, a KU freshman, passes by underneath an umbrella. Temperatures in Lawrence have not reached 50 degrees since April 3, but could do so today. Jennifer Schack, 6News meteorologist, is calling for a high temperature of 53 degrees with sunshine in the afternoon. For her complete forecast, see page 12B.

Photo by Mike Yoder

Bill Wood, Douglas County's agricultural agent for K-State Research and Extension, inspects a brome field with owner Joan Holmes. The grass, used to feed Holmes' Welsh ponies, was partially damaged during the recent cold weather. Wood looked at the field and gathered some samples with Holmes on Tuesday at her farm west of Lawrence.

First it was sunny, warm and beautiful.

Then, it was cold, windy and (almost) snowy.

Now, it's cool, wet and rainy.

As uncomfortable as it's been for people, the sudden and dramatic shifts in the weather have been particularly damaging to local crops and flowers. It's not all bad news, though, because pollen counts have fallen - for a short time, at least.

Agricultural problems

Bill Wood, Douglas County's agricultural agent for K-State Research and Extension, said the freeze may have seriously disrupted and damaged crop growth, but the extent of the damage won't be known for a few more days.

"On the wheat, we'll have to wait. The thing with wheat is it's a very tough crop," Wood said. "Temperatures got so cold so fast, though. We were up in the 80s and then it hit 18."

He's scheduled a wheat freeze field day for 10 a.m. Monday, when farmers can have crop samples evaluated by a Kansas State University specialist. The event will be at Lone Pine Ag Services near Stull.

Wood said there was almost certainly damage to the wheat crop because most of the stalks had entered what's called the jointing stage, which is when they begin to sprout new leaves of growth.

Other crops, such as alfalfa and brome, which both usually go into animal feed, may have been damaged for this cutting, but they should bounce back later in the year, Wood said.

Sour grapes

Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery in Basehor, like many vineyards, also has felt the effects of the spring freeze. The vineyard could lose up to 50 percent of its crop, though that's likely better than other nearby vineyards, said Les Meyer, Holy-Field's owner.

"There have been some warm spots in March in the last few years, but we have never got down this cold," Meyer said.

Because Holy-Field is larger than most area vineyards, it is able to overplant to compensate for often unpredictable spring weather. Other vineyards don't have that luxury and entire grape crops can be devastated by such cold weather.

Meyer predicted that Holy-Field would end the spring with 75 percent of its crop intact. That, however, could change if the area doesn't soon see more seasonal temperatures.

Frozen flowers

The recent cold also exacted a heavy toll on daffodils and tulips that had begun to bloom in parks and yards across town and on the Kansas University campus.

The stems on many are frozen and bent, while others are simply in a state of shock, said Crystal Miles, of the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department.

"Some of the trees and shrubs that have already budded out will be damaged, but that can be pruned away," Miles said. "If it's a tree or a shrub, it should reflower out."

Like Wood and Meyer, Miles is taking a wait-and-see approach to assessing the damage.

A silver lining?

Not all the news from the past week's cold weather is about damage, though. According to two experts, allergies and insects likely were set back by the sudden freeze - if only temporarily.

Dr. William Dixon, a general practitioner at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said the Kansas University health center already had started to see a steady stream of patients at its allergy clinic.

"That may slow down some," Dixon said. "Some people may find this as a lucky break. Others, it won't matter much."

Dixon said the cold snap likely took some pollen from trees out of the air, but those trees will rebloom once it gets warm again.

Deborah Smith, a KU associate professor who specializes in entomology, said fleas and pollinators were likely hurt by the cold, but other more pesky critters may have escaped with few ill effects.

"Anything that hugs the ground or lives in the soil - ticks and chiggers - is not really going to be damaged," Smith said.

The cool, damp weather is forecast to stick around through the end of the week.