‘Everything is so out of whack’: UK trees experience spring six months early

Mild autumn temperatures have prompted some UK trees, including horse chestnuts and trees at Kew Gardens, to flower and begin growing as if spring had arrived more than six months early. Experts say the unusual timing could disrupt relationships between trees and pollinating insects, and may leave trees less resilient over the long term.

The early growth follows a summer of extreme heat and drought, when some trees wilted, shed leaves early or entered dormancy. Woodland Trust experts say renewed rain may have triggered out-of-season flowering; affected trees could die or regrow from dormant buds with smaller canopies. Kew’s Kevin Martin said the full impact may not be clear until spring 2028, while weakened trees have already shown more storm-related failures than expected.