guides
What Is The 'Flowers Are Blooming In Antarctica' Meme? The Catchphrase And Its Memes Explained
Climate change is a recurring topic for debates on the internet. One of the most studied instances is the consequences of a rapidly warming arctic causing sea levels to rise, carbon-spewing permafrost and many other negative results.
Amid all the studies and reports showing the current state of the Antarctic region, one peculiar (and fake or misleading) image has garnered virality on social media, showing that "Flowers Are Blooming In Antarctica." Let's investigate how the picture and quote went viral and the many memes referencing it on the internet.
Where Does The 'Flowers Are Blooming In Antarctica' Catchphrase Come From?
Although studies are confirming Antarctica’s floral awakening, on September 21st, 2023, the X account @DailyLoud inaccurately posted a photo claiming flowers blooming in front of an iceberg with a caption stating, "Flowers are now starting to bloom in Antarctica and experts say this is not good news."
The post used a misleading quote from Nicoletta Cannone, a professor of ecology at the University of Insubria. Over four months, the post racked up roughly 13.3 million views and 62,000 likes as it was widely reposted online.
A community note was quickly added to the viral tweet, citing a Gizmodo article from 2022, which cited Cannone's study on flowering plants in Antarctica.
The note also pointed out that the photo used in @DailyLoud's post was misleading as it was taken in Greenland, not Antarctica, where colorful flowers are common in the summer months.
Here's what the Antarctica flowers actually look like, according to the Gizmodo's article.
How Did The 'Flowers Are Blooming In Antarctica' Catchphrase Become A Meme?
Daily Loud's viral tweet spread to other social media platforms, cementing the debate about flowers growing in Antarctica. For example, TikToker @omaragamyy posted a skit on September 22nd, 2023, about the claim that gained millions of views in four months.
Memetic content about the claim spread on TikTok soon after @omaragamyy's video in which people used the story as a catchphrase to joke about climate change fears.
For instance, on November 11th, TikToker @b0rderlineslvt posted a video with the text reading, "When people ask me why I want to start a family so young, but the flowers are blooming in Antarctica," receiving over a million views in two months.
Viral memes about the phrase continued to surface on Reddit and Instagram as it spread into late 2023 and early 2024. For example, on October 5th, 2023, Redditor Kayo4life shared a Sunset Wojak meme to the /r/memes subreddit that used the phrase, gaining over thousands of upvotes in three months.
For the full history of the Flowers Are Blooming In Antarctica, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.