Spot spring's vital signs and help the Woodland Trust record the impact of climate change on nature

THE Woodland Trust is urging people to get outside and spot vital signs of spring to help monitor potentially:- "disastrous" effects of climate change on nature, before its campaign ends on Easter Monday.

The UK's largest conservation charity is collecting records of public sightings of frogspawn and blackthorn blossom, as well as the singing of the song thrush, to track the health of the planet.

Thousands of people have already visited:- WoodlandTrust.Org/VitalSigns to take part in the Trust's citizen science campaign, and as the spring weather arrives, more and more aspiring nature detectives are heading out into their gardens and local parks.

Seasonal weather changes can have a serious knock-on effect on nature and wildlife, impacting life cycles and the food chains.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, citizen science manager at the Woodland Trust has explained:- "Recording any of these 3 vital signs is a lovely way to spend time in nature this spring, while also giving our research team valuable insights, Spring now arrives 9 days earlier than in the early 20 century on average, and this can have a disastrous effect on wildlife. Recording frogspawn, blackthorn blossom and song thrushes gives us a clearer indication of what's happening out there. Frogs only reproduce once a year, so if the weather warms too early, they can be tricked into mating too soon and the frogspawn may not survive a sudden cold snap. Blackthorn blossom is a vital, early nectar source for insects so it's great to see it spreading across the UK."

Early results from the project have shown frogspawn has followed its classic pattern of being 1st seen in the southwest of England, then sweeping up through Wales, followed by Northern England and Scotland, and finally down into the east of England. Scientists at the Trust say this is good news for nature since fewer frogs have been caught out by unseasonal weather.

"Climate change is not just icebergs and polar bears."

The Woodland Trust's dedicated Nature's Calendar volunteers collect this kind of information every year and the more people who get involved, the better the data.

Dr Lewthwaite added.:- "There's the chance to learn more about nature, get active, spend time in the woods and fresh air and experience all the wellbeing benefits that go with that, But this a serious business too. Climate change is not just icebergs and polar bears. It's happening in your garden and outside your window. It's impacting the birds, animals and flowers we all know and love. Citizen science projects like this 1 are an essential tool in the fight against climate change. Everyone who records any of our 3 vital signs of spring is making a difference and helping us gather valuable evidence to show what is happening to our planet. The campaign has really captured people's imaginations and we've been bowled over by the response. It doesn't end until Monday 21 April so there's still plenty of time to get involved. Just pop outside and hunt for blackthorn blooms, scour your local ponds and streams for frogspawn and keep your ears open for the sound of a song thrush singing."

Visit:- WoodlandTrust.Org/VitalSigns to log your sightings before the end of:- Monday, 21 April 2025.

Over 50% of butterfly species in UK now in decline

THE United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) has found that UK butterfly species are now in long-term decline. Since Monitoring of:- 59 of the UK's butterfly species a recent survey found:- 31 of them have seen numbers dramatically fall since 1976.

The UKBMS study has also found that in 2024 all but 8 butterfly species have seen the 5th worst year for butterfly numbers.

Even though populations of butterfly species can fluctuate due to weather conditions each year, the according to the UKBMS State of the UK's Butterflies report https://ukbms.org/latest-results says that it is both the habitat loss and climate change that are the 2 major contributing factors in the falling numbers. But the fall is also being driven the use of pesticides.

Interestinly, these findings back up the findings published in September 2024, by the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, who declared a national:- 'Butterfly Emergency.' last year.
https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/uk-butterfly-emergency-declared

The UKBMS has said that many of the UK's renowned butterfly species, including:- the small tortoiseshell, the chalk hill blue, and small copper suffered their worst year ever in 2024. For example, small tortoiseshell, whose numbers have plummeted by 86% since 1976.

On the back of the findings within these reports, this week conservation experts are now urging homeowners not to mow their lawns over the coming months to help boost butterfly numbers. Conservation experts say that research they have conducted clearly shows that letting part of a garden grow wild, with long grass, increases butterflies numbers and also helps other insect species. This intern helps both birds and hedgehogs, as grow long can encouraging the insects they eat. this is especcily helful at this time of year for nesting birds. In the case of butterflys, studies have shown without doubt that long grass can significantly increase butterfly numbers by up to a 93% in some areas. but having long grass can also help the soil as the other insect species can help improve soil structure (quality) by mixing it up when they move, and at the same time helping to get air into the soil. Air in the soil supports plant growth. Other invertebrates, such as woodlice help manage waste by breaking down organic matter, making natural fertilizer, promoting soil health, and reducing reliance on chemical inputs. And this list goes on...

So putting up with longer grass in parts of a garden to help local wildlife can also help your stress levels and have other health benefits accoring to many recent studies. so being kind for butterfly's has lots of bennefits for the slight inconveneiance of a few months of slightly longer grass.

Why not take part in 'No Mow May' this year, and then limited mowing for the summer? For more information please go to:- https://www.plantlife.org.uk/join-no-mow-may/

If your neighbors know what you are doing, and explain the benefits of longer grass for local wildlife, such as increased biodiversity and habitat, and address potential concerns about aesthetics and maintenance. keep an eye on weeds and dehead dead flowers before they can seed and remove invasive weeds. Long grass doen't mean it's unmannaged.

Infact, new studdies have also shown that long grass within flood prone areas can actually help mitigate flooding by acting as a natural water storage, by acting as a natural water storage within the affected areas, thus actively reducing fooding. This can also help by slowing down runoff, which reduces the risk of flooding downstream from the origional area as well! How cool is that?

Did you know that the UKBMS is run by a coalition of conservation organisations, and it is 1 of the longest running insect monitoring schemes in the world? The scheme began in 1976 and now records data on over 3,000 sites per year. for more information about the group, please and to read the latest UKBMS reports please visit:- https://UKBMS.Org