More evidence of climate shifts in nature

Research published in Nature’s Calendar has revealed many trees in Britain are producing ripe fruit earlier in the year than previously. In fact, on average the fruit is ripening 18 days earlier than a decade ago.

There is a fear that this will lead to earlier depletion in animal’s food reserves, with important food sources like acorns ripening 13 days earlier and rowan berries almost a month early.

The nature advisor of the Woodland Trust, Tim Sparks has said, “Some of the changes are really quite big and quite surprising. This caused me to go back and look at the data again to make sure it was valid because even I did not believe it initially.”

Nature’s Calendar has been collecting information on areas such as fruit ripening, leaf colour change and last sightings of birds for the last decade. "In terms of looking at the fruit-ripening dates… the thing that came out was that they all seem to have steadily advanced over the past decade," said Sparks.

It is still uncertain as to the exact impact of these large changes, but we can be sure that any changes in synchronicity of these proportions are going to have a knock on impact. Many birds require the fruit to survive through the winter and so an earlier finish to the supply of food could impact them.

As to the reason for the shift in ripening, the cause is as yet unconfirmed. It is possible that earlier flowering in spring, earlier onset of winter or warmer summers are causing the early ripening.

This trend shows no signs of halting, so further shifts in the seasons should be expected in the coming years.