Bluebells have been spotted flowering more than a month early in parts of the UK .
The flower usually blooms from the beginning of April to the end of May, but was seen flowering in Dorset, Surrey and parts of Wales in late February for the first time in Britain .
According to the National Trust in Devon and Cornwall, there were 93 per cent more plants in bloom last month than there were in the same period in 2007.
The constant climate changes, which led to the sunniest February on record, has prompted bluebells to appear in woodland earlier than ever before in the UK .
Now conservation agencies are urging amateur naturalists to start their search for bluebells earlier this year in a bid to discover whether native species are being threatened by escaped garden varieties.
A partnership between The Natural History Museum and the Plantlife and the Ramblers' Association has set up an online survey for Bluebell admirers to identify and record the different types of bluebell they find near where they live.
The recordings will then be used to map the areas where bluebells grow in the UK and what times in the year they flower .
"February is the earliest we've ever known bluebells to flower . It really is quite extraordinary," commented Mark Spencer, curator of the British plant collection at the Natural History Museum .
"Combined with changes in the climate, we don't know what is in store in terms of survival for the British bluebell - they may even become seriously threatened as weather patterns change."
Plantlife member, Dr Jayne Manley, said: 'Voted Britain's most popular wild flower in a Plantlife public poll, the native bluebell has its international stronghold in the UK, with more than 50 per cent of the world’s total population. This means we have a global responsibility to conserve it.
"This spring's survey is a terrific opportunity for the public to play their part to help conserve one of the UK's most iconic wild flowers," she added.
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Bluebells Spring Up Earlier Than Ever
Wed, 05 Mar 2008
Recommended linksYour online florists directorySurrey florists Florists in Cornwall and Devon Bluebell flowers Flower baskets Spring Flowers Blooming Early In Wales Affects of climate in the garden Spring flowers list
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