Climate change takes its toll on British countryside

Daffodills at Christmas and snow in October were just some of the unusual weather patterns noticed by the National Trust in the last year as climate change begins to takes its toll on the British landscape.

By Louise Gray, Environment Correpsondent Last Updated: 2:41AM GMT 27 Dec 2008
The National Trust saw plants emerge early because of a warm spring only to be washed out by a wet summer.
Poor weather led to a bad breeding season for birds and mammals due to a lack of insects. Scientists blamed climate change and said further extreme weather could wipe out many species altogether.
Matthew Oates, the National Trust nature conservation adviser, said a warm January and February brought out plants and encouraged birds to nest early.
However, the spring and summer was cold and wet, meaning there were fewer insects to pollinate plants or for birds to feed on.
By the autumn the wet weather meant a profusion of colour as the leaves turned and flowers bloomed early but a cold snap killed off more bees. Winter was mild, but species such as bats will struggle to survive because of the lack of feeding earlier in the year. Mr Oates said many species could not survive another poor spring and summer.
"A cold late spring, a wet summer, with few sunny days, and the long dry autumn has shown how dependent our wildlife is on the weather," he said. "Many species closely associated with the four seasons are having to cope with higher incidents of poor weather as our climate becomes more unpredictable.
"After two very poor years in a row we desperately need a good summer in 2009. Climate change is not some future prediction of what might happen, it's happening now."
Already daffodils are out in Guernsey this Christmas and spring flowers are expected to come out earlier.
Dr Tim Sparks, a climate change specialist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said Britain would experience warmer, drier summers and wet, mild winters, which could mean an increase in invasive species. He said: "The likelihood is we will gain species from the south and lose more vulnerable native species."