Artichokes already !!!?

  Very surprised to look down and find this artichoke . I have grown them in the past and it usually takes a full year for them to produce chokes and that is usually in February and March. 
   In California they are usually grown as a perennial. I had my Four plants for over  two years  then the gophers flattened them. and when I say flattened them that is exactly what happened. they ate the entire root and my plants deflated. Where the hell was that cat?
   Well this year I moved them over a bit and bought bare root plants instead of 4" pots. I guess that would make them over one year old. I haven't thought of it much but when I purchase plants bare root they do produce right away. I was surprised though as this baby is only about two foot tall.