Plants are flowering earlier than ever – here’s how they sense the seasons

Hedgerows in mid-February might have traditionally appeared white with snow; this year the white was the work of blackthorn blossoms – a harbinger of spring. Although a welcome sign after a wet and gloomy winter, the early flowering brings unease for experienced season watchers. Has this plant always flowered in mid-February, I wondered, or is something changing?

Fortunately, the science of recording and understanding seasonal events, phenology, has a long history in Britain. Robert Marsham, an 18th-century naturalist, kept records of the appearance of the flowers, birds and insects in his Norfolk village as far back as 1736. Marsham’s descendants continued the recording until 1958. The Woodland Trust maintains the tradition with Nature’s Calendar, a scheme in which members of the public are invited to record various seasonal events.