UK Biodiversity Indicators 2017 published
Judith Garforth, 25/08/2017
The UK Biodiversity Indicators 2017 report has been published this month, detailing UK progress towards meeting biodiversity targets.
Nature’s Calendar data is used to calculate one of the biodiversity indicators, the ‘Spring Index’.
What is the Spring Index?
The Spring Index is used to illustrate the impact of temperature change on the timing of biological events.
How is it calculated?
It's calculated from the annual average observation date of:
- Hawthorn first flowering
- Horse chestnut first flowering
- Orange tip butterfly first recorded
- Swallow first recorded
Hawthorn first flowering (Kylie Harrison Mellor/WTML)
Horse chestnut first flowering (Judith Garforth/WTML)
Orange tip first recorded (WTML)
Swallow first recorded (Amy Lewis/WTML)
Spring Index 2016
The Spring Index is expressed as the number of days after 31 December and varies greatly from year to year depending on the weather. It shows a strong relationship with average temperature in March and April. The latest index, for 2016, is 120.
The full UK Biodiversity Indicators 2017 report is available to read on the Join Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) website where you can a view a graph of the spring index over time.
The UK Biodiversity Indicators 2017 report is just one example of how your records are used by scientists to investigate the effects of weather and climate on wildlife.
