Looks like someone in the government believes in climate change

This country may block international agreements on climate change and promote economic policies guaranteed to produce that change, but the guys who make the maps that find their way to the back of seed packets are going with the evidence.

Good for them!  I am certain they will now be cursed by the denialists.

Global warming reflected in planting zone map 

Government updating color-coded maps on seed packets
WASHINGTON – Global warming is hitting not just home, but garden. The color-coded map of planting zones often seen on the back of seed packets is being updated by the government, illustrating a hotter 21st century.
By: Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer   January 25, 2012

WASHINGTON – Global warming is hitting not just home, but garden. The color-coded map of planting zones often seen on the back of seed packets is being updated by the government, illustrating a hotter 21st century.

It’s the first time since 1990 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised the official guide for the nation’s 80 million gardeners, and much has changed. Nearly entire states, such as Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, are in warmer zones.

The new guide, unveiled Wednesday at the National Arboretum, arrives just as many home gardeners are receiving their seed catalogs and dreaming of lush flower beds in the spring.

It reflects a new reality: The coldest day of the year isn’t as cold as it used to be, so some plants and trees can now survive farther north.

“People who grow plants are well aware of the fact that temperatures have gotten more mild throughout the year, particularly in the wintertime,” said Boston University biology professor Richard Primack.

“There’s a lot of things you can grow now that you couldn’t grow before.” more