Swindon springing into Spring!
The Monthly Ink Environmental Focus with Rebecca Clements
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Today is our monthly Ink Environmental Focus, which runs on the second Thursday of every month.
It only costs £5.99 a month - less than the price of a single Whopper from Burger King - and you’ll be supporting independent quality journalism in Swindon.
From planting pollinator-friendly flowers to joining a community litter-pick, we can all do our bit to improve the environment as the days lengthen
This is the latest of our monthly environmental columns by Rebecca Clements, who has a passion for writing, community and all things Swindon.
By Environmental Reporter Rebecca Clements
It’s that wonderful time of year again when waking up suddenly feels just that little bit easier.
The mornings are lighter, the world looks less like midnight, and I can almost pretend I’m one of those people who springs out of bed with enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, this seasonal shift seems to have no effect whatsoever on my teenage son. The daily challenge of rousing him from his slumber remains as epic as ever. A task I have come to approach with a mixture of dread, determination, and the resigned knowledge that it may take several attempts.
Most mornings end with me resorting to either tickle torture or yanking the duvet off entirely. Spring may bring new life and renewed energy, but apparently not to a teenage boy’s bedroom!
Suddenly, all around us, we can see signs of new life, from daffodils along the verges and pretty blossom on the trees to birds busily building nests and lambs appearing in the fields.
Spring is a delicate season though, and climate change is testing that delicacy more each year. Spring is all about the balance of timing. For example, blossom needs to open at the same time as pollinators emerge, and migrant birds need to arrive as insects peak.
Climate change means that as temperatures rise and weather becomes less predictable, the once reliable rhythm of spring is beginning to falter.
Early warm spells tempt trees into blossom too soon, only for a late frost to come and damage the flowers, causing a shortage of food and a decline in the number of pollinators, which are needed to feed the vast number of migrant birds suddenly arriving. Nature’s cycle is being disrupted.
What can we do to help?
