Experts from the trust have verified public sightings of hawthorn flowers in hedgerows right across the UK, although typically they are not expected to appear until around May 11.
The sight of swifts flying across the south-east and Gloucestershire over the past few days also suggests the seasons are out of kilter; traditionally the birds return from their migration around May 10.
Is spring the new summer? (Guardian)
- Hawthorn entry in A Modern Herbal (1931)
- The Hawthorn Tree: Queen of the May (folklore @ White Dragon)