WINTER is being shortened by longer, warmer autumns and earlier springs, according to a survey by a conservation charity.
With little prospect of wintry weather due to global warming and climate change, the Woodland Trust said many natural events previously associated with the spring were now happening before Christmas.
The yellow heads of primroses were appearing as early as December which means that any flowering plants, which usually lie dormant in winter, are vulnerable to sudden frosts.
Song thrushes can now be heard at Christmas, while chiffchaff and black-cap were increasingly spending winter in Britain.
Candlemass bells - the colloquial name for snowdrops - rather than flow-ering around the Candlemass festival on February 2 were being seen as early as November.
Winter, when it does arrive, is becoming shorter and increasingly frost-free. With spring arriving earlier and the autumn period lengthening, winter is being shortened at both ends.
The Woodland Trust is calling on people to join in research by recording the growing season for trees and flow-ers, the arrival times of bird migrants and the first sighting of frog spawn, amphibian and insect activity.
Former BBC weather forecaster Ian McCaskill said, "Changes in temperature is affecting our wildlife.
"Many migratory birds are remaining in the country much later than we'd expect and some animals are hibernating later in the year.
"To get a better picture of what's happening to the environment, please help the Woodland Trust by recording natural events that you see around you in woods, parks and gardens."
To help the Woodland Trust record changes to nature's calendar, or phenol-ogy as it is known, a simple recording form and further information is available from the Woodland Trust on 0800 0837 497 or by logging on to www.phenology.org.uk