1st UK Bumblebees Now Leave Hibernation Before Christmas - Telegraph

[hatrack]

"The gentle hum of a bumble bee flitting through long grass was once synonomous with warm spring and drowsy summer days. But according to a study, the climate has changed so much that the confused creatures now emerge from hibernation as Christmas approaches.

The survey, published to mark the start of National Science Week, disclosed that the earliest sighting of a bumble bee was on Dec 23 last year. Only a few years ago, the season's first bee was normally spotted in January or February.

EDIT

Between the 1920s and 30s the earliest observation we had was Feb 3. We've leapt forward nearly a month since that period. "January recordings have only occurred since 1993, and the December ones really only started at the beginning of this century. You can see this gradual stepping process." Last year the first bumble bee was recorded on Dec 23 at Isleworth, west London. Another was seen on Christmas Eve in Devon. By the end of December, five volunteers had seen one. In February there were large numbers of bumble bee sightings until temperatures dropped in the second half of the month, when they immediately stopped.

Woodland Trust volunteers recorded a sighting of frogspawn on Dec 19 and heard a song thrush on Dec 3. Flowering snowdrops were common throughout December. Blackbirds and blue tits are already building nests, while the normally migratory painted lady butterfly spent all winter in Britain. House martins, swallows and swifts have been early, while there have been reports of the first cuckoo."

EDIT

[KoKo]

1. One wonders what climate change is doing to us? Biorythms off, and

people on Prozac and whatever else they need to keep going. If it affects our plants and animals..what do you think it could be doing to the rest of us.

[brokensymmetry]

2. Good point.

I think most of us have wondered if people aren't a little wilder (crazier?), a little less kind these days. Maybe it's true...

If I wanted to be negative, I might use the analogy of the behavior of guests at a party where the refreshments are about to run out, and everyone sorta knows it...