2025 UK Survey Finds 646 Flowering Plant Species In Bloom During November-December Study Period

Daisies and dandelions are among hundreds of native plant species blooming in the UK, in what scientists have called a “visible signal” of climate breakdown disrupting the natural world.

A Met Office analysis of data from the annual new year’s plant hunt over the past nine years found an extra 2.5 species in bloom during the new year period for every 1C rise in temperature at a given location during the previous November and December. This year’s hunt started on Thursday and runs until Sunday.

In 2025, citizen scientists recorded 310 native plant species in flower, which the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) said far exceeded the 10 species they would typically expect for this time of year. Including non-native species, they counted 646 flowering species.

Kevin Walker, a scientist at BSBI, said it was a “visible signal” of climate change that people could see in their own gardens. “This new analysis shows a very clear link between rising temperatures and impacts on our plant species,” said Walker. “This is yet further evidence that climate change is affecting our wildlife indiscriminately.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/02/winter-blooming-of-hundreds-of-plants-in-uk-visible-signal-of-climate-breakdown