Monitoring the UK’s first signs of spring
Spring is the fastest-warming season in the UK and it’s largely down to climate change according to a new report by Climate Central, an independent organisation on climate research. The average spring temperature has increased by 1.8C since 1970 making it the fastest warming season for all four nations of the UK ̶ and this is causing confusion in the natural world.
So how do we know it’s spring? The Spring Index, one of the UK’s Biodiversity Indicators, monitors the arrival of spring through the observation of four important biological events: the first flowering of hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), first flowering of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), first recorded flight of an orange-tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) and the first sighting of a swallow (Hirundo rustica).
The timing of these recurring natural events in relation to climate, provide year-on-year information on how nature is responding to a changing climate. And the Spring Index illustrates the effects that one aspect of climate change (spring warming) is placing on wildlife.
Monitoring the impact of increasing spring temperatures
Our climate has clear consequences for nature. Different responses among plants and animals can cause problems for life cycles, such as pollinating insects emerging out of sync with flowers opening, vulnerability due to late frosts, disruption of food webs and the changing balance of competition between species.
Our UK Biodiversity Indicators will help us to keep tracking the relationship between climate and nature. This will help us to make the right decisions, based on robust science, for nature recovery.