Global warming?

I try to avoid attributing every spell of good weather to global warming. As far back as I can remember, the weather in England has been consistently erratic. I have been sunbathing in March and October and thrown snowballs in May. However until recently, nature seemed to be unbothered by these fluctuations and maintained a consistent timetable through the seasons.

This year things have completely changed. I've seen crocuses in December, bees in February and, a few weeks ago, fields full of poppies. I took this picture a few years ago in late July, but I'm seeing the same thing now in mid-May.


This completely buggers-up my plan to introduce my oldest son to the cycle of life, via the wonderful Ladybird books title What to Look For in Spring, as most of the events covered happened in late winter. I'm always wary of anecdotal evidence, but this feels quite wrong.