Fruit Trees Blossom In Britain - 2/14 Plant Count Shows Flowering Up 76 - 203% Over 2007

[hatrack]

EDIT

There are catkins on the hazels and blossom on the fruit trees. Tortoises at a St Austell sanctuary have had to be placed under infrared light after they came out of hibernation a month early - while others are being kept in fridges to prevent them from waking too soon. And the air has been full of birdsong for weeks. Spring is in a hurry to get going.

On St Valentine's Day, National Trust gardeners in Devon and Cornwall counted the number of plants in bloom in their gardens. With 3,335 plants counted, this figure represented a 76 per cent increase on last year. Flowering plant numbers at Lanhydrock in Cornwall were up by 203 per cent. It's clear that our countryside is taking on a new appearance, as plants and wildlife respond to climate change.

EDIT

Birds are the big losers in an early spring. The RSPB predicts that climate change will push certain birds more than 300 miles further north. In the case of the osprey, snow bunting, pintail and skua, this would send them towards the Arctic Circle and near-certain extinction. Migrant birds will start moving too soon and may arrive before the food to sustain them is ready. Scientists are already concerned that the swallows will turn up before there are enough insects to support them. In our gardens and woodlands, many breeds began singing a month early this year, in January. Singing heralds nest building, and chicks born before their favourite feed, such as caterpillars, becomes available. This spells disaster for birds like blue tits. Their nestlings will starve to death. Fortunately, most of our birds have more than one brood and should recover.

Frogs, however, only breed once a year and, tricked by the lack of a real winter, their frogspawn was seen in many places in January. Just one sharp frost and the spawn will die, putting severe pressure on our already declining frog population. Equally, a warm spring will see farmers' crops start to germinate earlier. And if the early spring proves to be a false start, it puts them at greater risk from a later frost. With food prices already rising rapidly, this is the worst possible scenario.

EDIT

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=518671&in_page_id=1770

[phantom power]

1. catkins on the hazels

catkins on the hazels
blossom on the fruit trees
fungus on the bat's nose
hives without their honeybees

ashes, ashes we all fall down!

[Systematic Chaos]

2. But we'll get to have tea and crumpets in the shade of a palm tree!

Like a British Corona commercial, or something.

:crazy:

[mihalevich]

5. It happened here in Missouri last year

With temps. in the 70s and 80s most of March, a cold snap hit in April with temps down to 18F. All the new buds froze off the trees and shrubs. My sweet gum tree had no gum balls. New growth on evergreens were killed... It hard to pin this on GW, but our town looks bad, with the Ice storm of 2007, and two more this year. Most trees have lost branches.

[Warpy]

3. Poplar trees here in the valley in central NM

started to bud in late January. They usually bud a month later and produce leaves in late March.

This is happening worldwide.

Trees can reproduce leaves after a deep freeze destroys the early ones they put out. They don't reflower, so the fruit for that season is lost.

Fortunately for us, the fruiting trees seem to be starting to bud on schedule.

[Avalux]

4. Early blooming and warmer temps also point towards disease.

Don't be suprised if there's a mosquito-borne epidemic as we move into summer.

[aquart]

6. The trees in Manhattan are budding.

Nobody seriously considers the possibility of a worldwide famine, one that would strike in the US, but we should. We really should.

[enid602]

7. enjoy

The Brits should enjoy it while they can. Global warming is expected to divert the Gulf Stream; Britain is expected to be Siberian within 20 yrs.

[mihalevich]

9. Yes, I wonder about that scenario

Just depends on how much ice is melting of Greenland. I still think it's unlikely stop the gulf stream, but might slow it down a little.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. but....but....global warming is just a figment of Al Gore's imagination!!!!!

:banghead:

They even had a --Global Cooling Conference-- here in NYC last week.
What a bunch of nitwits get attracted to that stuff...mainly repuke
knuckleheads as sponsors, of course.