Southern California’s iconic Joshua trees started flowering months ahead of schedule this year, raising alarm bells for scientists — who are scrambling to help crack the mystery. Typically, the Mojave-dwelling succulents start flowering in February and April, drawing the yucca moth to pollinate the flowers so they produce fruit, which drops to the ground and gets gobbled up by rodents. The plant’s seeds then get spread in the course of the animals’ travels. This year, however, for unknown