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Hawthorn has been spotted in flower at New Year, a whole five months earlier than expected
Nature Studies: In a normal winter botanists would expect no more than 20 to 30 plants to have been in flower
It's unheard-of: after the warmest and wettest December on record,
more than 600 species of British wildflowers were in bloom on New Year's Day 2016, a major survey has shown.
In a normal cold winter, botanists would expect no more than
20 to 30 types of wild plants to be in flower in the British Isles at the year's end - species such as daisy, dandelion and gorse.
But a survey by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) has discovered that on 1 January, no fewer than 612 species were actually flowering, including some from late spring and high summer -
an occurrence which seems to be without precedent, and has left plant scientists astonished.
"It's incredible," said Kevin Walker, the BSBI's Head of Science. "I've never seen anything like it."
Just like December's astounding weather regime of record rainfall and warmth,
the mass out-of-time flowering is suggestive of a substantial climatic shift. "It is what might be expected with climate change," Dr Walker said.
The appearance of many familiar and well-loved springtime species was a complete surprise: cowslips and cow parsley were both recorded four months early, normally appearing in April, while yellow archangel, bulbous buttercup and red campion are all expected in May.
