This year’s record mild Winter weather has triggered an early Spring bloom of wild flowers, according to a new research study.
Biologists have discovered a remarkable 63 species of wild flowers in bloom, which is much more than the normal average of 20 to 30 species.
A wild flower hunt around Cardiff by Dr Tim Rich of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales and Dr Sarah Whild of Birmingham University this week demonstrated how warm the Winter has been so far.
Dr Rich, Head of Vascular Plants, Amgueddfa Cymru, said the diversity of wild plants in flower in mid-Winter is very unusual.
He added: "Most of the wild flowers have continued to flower because autumn frosts have not been severe enough to knock the plants back for the Winter.
“Only winter heliotrope is supposed to be flowering at New Year, but three Spring-flowering species – hazel, primrose and lesser celandine - were flowering very early."
Only gorse was seen flowering on New Year’s Day 2011, which was not surprising given the extreme cold and snow of last year.
The mild winter has allowed many garden flowers to bloom early too, with Camellia, Forsythia and Laurastinus flowering already.
The team produced a report of all the sightings in the survey, and the locations of where they were seen.
Senior forecaster with Positive Weather Solutions, Jonathan Powell, said plants and animals were going to have their biological seasonal clocks “badly disturbed”, with further mild weather forecast.
“It’s bizarrely mild, more like April and early May,” he said.
“Winter will return late January but is unlikely to be bring a sustained cold snap with snow chiefly confined to Scotland and Northern England.
“It’s still going to be a predominately wet and mild run out into spring.”
hyderabad flowers, hyderabad around 4 months ago