Winter Blooming of Hundreds of Plants in UK a Visible Signal of Climate Breakdown
An analysis by the Met Office based on nine years of New Year plant hunt data reveals that for every 1°C rise in prior November–December temperatures at a single location, about 2.5 additional plant species were found flowering. In 2025, 310 native species were flowering across the UK, and when including non-native species, the total flowering species reached 646—well above typical expectations.
The 2026 New Year plant hunt began on January 1 and runs through January 4. Early results this year have shown common wildflowers such as daisies and dandelions flowering out of season, along with non-native blooms including Mexican fleabane and white and red dead-nettles.
The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) describes this unusual pattern as a visible signal of climate breakdown, indicating that warming is affecting plant biodiversity. Fossil fuel pollution has heated the planet by approximately 1.4°C above preindustrial levels, with 2025 likely being the UK's hottest year on record according to the Met Office.
Debbie Hemming, a vegetation expert at the Met Office, stated that these findings provide tangible evidence that climate breakdown is directly influencing the natural world. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are shifting plant and wildlife cycles, resulting in unprecedented flowering patterns.
