Spring was making an early appearance before the freezing weather of the “beast from the east” swept across the UK, sightings from the public show.
The Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar scheme, which asks the public to track the signs of the seasons, had received more than 350 “unusual” early records before meteorological spring officially starts on March 1.
But with winter ending in sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow across the UK, wildlife experts say many of the species putting in an early appearance this spring could suffer as a result of the freezing conditions.
Hazel was seen flowering as early as last October (Woodland Trust Nature’s Calendar/PA)
The first “spring” sign was hazel flowering in Southampton on October 27 2017, the earliest recording of hazel flowers since 2000, and months before the baseline average first sighting of March 2.
Red admirals were spotted on the wing as early as January 4, compared to a usual average of May 7, while there have been sightings of blackbirds nesting, frogspawn, red tailed bumblebees and snowdrops.
Lesser celandine has been recorded flowering as early as November, blue tits first building nests in December and brimstone butterflies on the wing in January, instead of April.
The scheme received reports in mid February of blackbird chicks in Cheshire, considerably earlier than the baseline of April 27.
Early frogspawn will not survive the freezing weather, experts warn (Woodland Trust Nature’s Calendar/PA)
Depending on how sheltered their nest and location is, they may well not survive the cold weather, but the parents would be expected to have a second brood later in the season once spring has definitely sprung, the experts said.
Charlotte Armitage, citizen science officer for the Woodland Trust, said they had been “shocked” by the number of early records received this year, with early sightings down to prolonged mild weather over the winter.
“When we get prolonged mild periods as we have done recently, plants and wildlife are fooled into thinking the seasons are changing and start to become more active.
“The danger with this is that when the weather turns as it has done this week, some species will suffer considerably.
“While flowering plants will almost certainly flower again later in the season, frogspawn and insects in particular do not fare so well and this week’s snow will undoubtedly see them perish,” she said.
The data from Nature’s Calendar helps experts see how wildlife is faring in a changing climate, and the trust urged more people to take part in the scheme.