These Bergenia cordifolia are coming into flower. It's a species with a long flowering season but even so they're pretty early. A report published this week by the University of Cambridge states that plants in the UK are opening their flowers an average 26 days earlier in the period from 1987-2019 as compared to the period from 1753 to 1986. Plants are a useful indicator of changing climatic conditions. Not only are they very responsive to climate there are many botanical records to refer to.

 It's been chilly this week but there is a definite freshness in the air which makes it feel like we're heading for an early spring. Having said that it was damn cold right into May last year so there are fluctuations but the report does seem to suggest a pattern.

 It's worth noting that plants have evolved over millions of years and during that time they will have seen a lot of weather. Also I think we tend to regard man made climate change as a new thing but I suspect this overlooks previous environmental impacts. For example before agriculture this country would have been a forested island inhabited by small tribes of hunter-gatherers.

 None the less we do seem to be seeing some sharp changes bought about by pollution based climate change. An early spring is pleasant in many ways but the life cycles of flora and fauna are intertwined. For example flowering plants and pollinators have co-evolved across millennia. On the one hand this shows an extraordinary ability to assimilate change. On the other hand abrupt change may have consequences. Case in point it has been noted that a mismatch can occur between the emergence of certain plants and certain pollinators because one or the other is too early or too late.

 Much as I'm longing for spring another part of me doesn't want winter to end too soon. Four seasons in the usual order is fine by me.