After the second warmest winter on record, and temperatures in some parts of the UK soaring to 10 degrees above the seasonal average, a conservation charity is claiming that climate change is dramatically affecting the seasons.
The Woodland Trust pointed to flowering hawthorn and the return of migrating swifts as proof that summer has arrived a full month early.
“The timing of the seasons is changing in length and complexity, with the mild winter and warm spring contributing to warmer than average temperatures,” said Dr Kate Lewthwaite of the Woodland Trust. “It is an example of how climate change is affecting our wildlife and seasons.”
Hawthorn flowers in hedgerows are not usually expected to appear until around 11th May, while the return of swifts from their winter migration should not occur until around 10th May, according to the Trust.
Other eco-anomalies recorded by observers across the UK include the early blossoming of Bluebells, the premature emergence of several butterfly species, February sightings of normally dormant hedgehogs and the laying of frogspawn, which is usually due in March but appeared in January.
But the Met Office has countered claims that April evenings in beer gardens and horny frogs in January is something to worry about, reporting that in Manchester today the forecast is as predictable as ever: mainly cloudy, with light drizzle.
