Winter winds and plants

Harsh as the wind may be, it serves as a vehicle carrying new life to fresh ground. The more we learn, the clearer it becomes to us that life on Earth has adapted to use climate conditions to its advantage.

Oh Kyung-ah

The author is a garden designer and the CEO of OhGardens.

After two demanding weeks, the garden construction project in Yangyang County has finally come to an end. Garden work is always at the mercy of the weather. Winters along the Yeongdong coast are not known for extreme cold, but wind is a constant and often decisive factor. In spring, the well-known Yanggan winds blow between Yangyang County and Ganseong, and strong gusts are as equally as common in winter. Construction of the garden coincided with a period of persistent winds, making the work physically exhausting for everyone involved.

As dry weather and strong wind advisories are issued for Gangneung and other parts of Gangwon’s east coast, wildfire warning flags flutter in the wind in Gyeongpo-dong, Gangneung, on Nov. 20. [YONHAP]

But the wind does not trouble only people. For plants, it can be lethal. Winds in spring and summer accelerate transpiration, drying out plants just as they begin to absorb water. In areas where winds blow steadily, plants struggle to survive, making those sites the least favored among gardeners.

It may seem, then, that the absence of wind would be ideal for plants. But the reality is more complicated.

A plant’s life cycle is centered on producing and dispersing seeds. While some plants rely on bees or butterflies for this task, an estimated 10 to 30 percent of the world’s plant species depend on wind. About 70 percent of anemochores, or plants that produce and grow from wind-dispersed seeds, are concentrated in temperate climates, where they take advantage of winter and spring winds. Their seeds come in a variety of forms, all designed for travel.

For example, dandelions attach fine, cotton-like filaments to their seeds, allowing them to drift as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles). Maple seeds, often called helicopter seeds because of their twin wings, can travel about 5 kilometers. Some orchid species produce seeds so light they resemble dust, capable of flying tens of kilometers. During typhoons or powerful storms, seeds have been known to travel distances of up to 200 kilometers.

In short, without the sharp winds of winter, many plants would struggle to produce or spread seeds, putting their survival at risk. Harsh as the wind may be, it serves as a vehicle carrying new life to fresh ground. The more we learn, the clearer it becomes to us that life on Earth has adapted to use climate conditions to its advantage.

Human life is no exception. Yet we often seem to forget this simple and obvious truth, even as we endure the winds that quietly sustain the world around us.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.