Our British climate is, if possible, getting more changeable – and with Global Warming it will continue to become more and more extreme. The effects on wildlife are a good indicator of how our climate is warming. Over my lifetime wild flowers have been blooming earlier and earlier. But in the present winter the effects are even more extreme than anyone could have predicted. The Botanical Society of Great Britain, who do a regular New Year’s day survey of wild flowers found in bloom, usually count less than thirty flowering in the whole of GB- but this year they recorded 600!
A lot of these would be summer flowers which just didn’t stop blooming during the mild autumn and into December, but with your help I would like to record how many flowers come out early this spring around Wookey Hole.
If you could send any records to my email we can see if there are any local trends. ‘Wild’ flowers only please – but if you are not sure I can sort them out at my end.
I am happy to have any other wildlife records – which I can send on to other wildlife recorders. This can include when birds first nest, when migrants first return – or when winter birds leave, and frogs first spawn (that should be any day now!)
Les Cloutman, Wookey Hole