British flowers affected by global warming

A survey by the Botanical Society of the British Isles suggests global warming is affecting the numbers and range of Britain's wild flowers.

The survey is the first time climate change has been seen to affect flowers, The Independent reported Monday. Until now, the effects of global warming on Britain's plant kingdom have only been detected in the timing of appearing, leafing and flowering. For example, the newspaper said British oak trees are coming into leaf as many as 10 days earlier than they were 30 years ago, and some spring flowers are blooming as early as December.

The BSBI Local Change Survey, however, indicates some flower species are increasing both in numbers and frequency of occurrence in a way that is consistent with steadily rising temperatures, The Independent reported.

The survey examined changes in the British flora since 1987 in 800 two-kilometer grid squares. The mean central England temperature for 1987 was 9.05 C, while that for 2004 was 10.51 C.

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