Or, that is, usually. This year, however, with cold weather lingering on into late April, Spring has arrived around 3 weeks late. The transition from dormancy to new growth that affects most plant (and animal) species was put on hold, while late frosts damaged new shoots on plants that were lulled into a false sense of security by an anomolous sunny day in March.
The unseasonally cold and dry conditions in the UK this Spring can be seen as part of a global trend of increasing unpredictability in weather patterns. It shows that climate change doesn't conform to the popular myth of 'global warming' allowing Welshmen to grow olives on the slopes of Snowdon. It manifests itself as increased variation - weather that is too hot, dry, cold or moist for too long.
All of this has pretty serious implications for nature. It's not just a case of it throwing nature's calendar out by a couple of weeks. Increased stress and strain from unseasonally low or high temperatures or humidity fundamentally affects the survival of individual species.
The long harsh Winter of 2014-15 will particularly have taken its toll on foraging animals whose food sources were thin on the ground by late April. Cold weather will have controlled insect populations, which is good news for gardeners, but perhaps now so good for birds. And any plants that flowered early are likely to have a very poor set of fruit as blossom was likely damaged by late frosts.
However, there aren't losers - some species will thrive now that we have (hopefully) seen the back of harsh Winter. My prediction is that we should expect a really good set of fruit on any plants or trees that have delayed flowering until now: there will now be enough insect life to ensure pollination. But the shortened season may mean less time to swell, so expect your apples to be high in number, sweet, but small.
It would be wrong to think that humans aren't affected by the increasing unpredictability of the weather. Although it's become possible to live disconnected from the natural world, studies have shown that our wellbeing is directly impacted by factors such as biodiversity, access to healthy green space, and even something as simple as birdsong. Don't get me wrong, I don't use climate change as the go-to cause of all ills - but it is certainly has the potential to depreciate nature's value in all of the above. And don't even get me started on food security.
For me, this highlights the growing imperative for us to take a more active interest in nature and our natural heritage. In understanding and appreciating what is special in the world around us, we, even as gardeners and amateur conservationists, can start to improve our own practices and help nature become more resilient in the face of change.
To see what was happening this time last year, click here: http://www.greenhillshere.co.uk/2014/05/may.html?m=1
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