This Yale Climate Connections article discusses multiple studies that show how premature springs are creating new winners and losers. Some species are struggling while others are dominating.
Spring is usually a coordinated dance of singing birds, bursting leaves, buzzing insects, and blooming flowers, but climate change is throwing off the rhythm. With warming temperatures, the average spring in the eastern U.S. is starting earlier. This year, flowers bloomed 10 days early in Jackson, Mississippi, and leaves emerged up to 20 days early in West Virginia, according to the USA National Phenology Network.