With Heatwave, are we watching an early autumn in the UK?

It is still hot in many parts of Britain, but some tree leaves are getting yellow and so cooked in blackberry hedges that they are tasting alcoholic.

Councils in London have issued a “do not sit treatment” warning due to the dangers of suddenly dying branches.

What’s going on? Is it still summer, or has autumn already started? And does it matter anyway?

There is no formal definition of “early autumn”, but experts say that the weather signs, such as the leaves are ready to fall or choose apples, are actually a long warm warm and dry summer.

And a potential historic one – the Met Office says that this summer is one of the hottest since the record started in 1884.

In Cardiff, Wanda O’Coner has grown melons for the first time since starting food six years ago.

She shows me to cook lemon and lemon inside her allocation greenhouse. “This is 38–39c here,” she says, pointing to a thermometer.

Aubergines, red chili, courtyard and many tomatoes are all over-to-high temperatures and extra sunny hours.

At the same time, classic autumn fruits such as Blackberry and Apples – are generally hanged in September – hanging from branches.

Protectionists are still collecting data about whether it is record-breaking. According to The Woodland Trust, Blackberry was observed in London on 22 June. In 2024, Southampton had 4 July as soon as possible – but scientists need more information to be certain about the long -term trend.

For Vanda in Cardiff, it means more food to take home for dinner, but it is more difficult to give water to her plants.

“I will come every three days in a normal year, but this year it is every day. If I don’t, the plants will die,” she tells.

Farmers across the UK have also seen the initial crop with some crops struggling in summer, which has caused concern about the prices of food.

Last month, Environment agency said North West England, Yorkshire, East Midlands and West Middlelands were in drought. Parts of Wales including Cardiff Region, Six months has been dry since 1976 And are also in drought.

According to the season, the UK is 71% of the average rainfall for the weather, when it should be 79% by this date.

And we have 89% of the average sunlight for summer. The Meteorological Office says that we will expect 79% to this point.

Climate change is affecting the time of biological events including spring and autumn, According to the Met OfficeHowever, the level of change varies from year to year.

At the botanical garden of Wales in Carmarthshire, Luke Chasman has to work more than normal to keep the garden healthy and attractive for visitors.

They saw symptoms of stress such as turning tree leaves into yellow and falling, and branches have declined – so with excess water, he combines mulching trees, adding biological materials over the soil to keep it moist. He says that it is good advice for people with plants or trees suffering at home.

He says, “We have about three back-to-back heatwaves. It is not giving trees a chance to recover,” they say.

This is a similar story in the Kew Garden in London, where the head of the tree collection Kevin Walker says that the last drought in 2022 killed his about 460 trees – and he is again looking at the same tension.

Leaves are losing leaves on English oak canopy and producing deadwood, they say, and Norway are showing symptoms of maple and magnolias stress.

“They are throwing their leaves, and will try to exclude it by next year,” They say, while “Summer Branch Drop” – where tree tries to save energy by losing the branches – whatever is happening It can be dangerous for nearby people.

He says, “This is a living rapid, dying young strategy. It can work for one in the 10 -year program. But instead of a duration of drought or stress is an one -in -10 -year phenomenon, it is becoming one every two or three years,” they say.

But does it matter that autumn conditions come soon?

Wildlife Trust says it is a sign of “closing nature” and is likely to have an impact in winter and next year.

Catherine Brown, director of climate change and evidence in Wildlife Trusts, says, “Some things are not dying, but they are not prosperous, they are not growing, they are not photosynthesis. They are going into survival mode.”

“Overriding is that it is making everything a lot more chaotic for wildlife,” she says.

Earthworms, who feed the bacteria and hedgehogs, are living inside the rough and dry soil, meaning that animals can struggle to dig to find them and travel further for food.

She says that birds will see fruits like Blackberry “to maintain them through autumn and winter.” But where the crop comes quickly, birds can stay hungry.

After eliminating flowering plants that produce pollen and nectar in hot weather, signs of closing bees for winter are also visible. It can release bees without enough food.

This year it will take time to work in the role of climate change in the heatwave, but scientists clarified that it would have promoted heat.

“I am very worried about what we’re already watching, and this is just a point that we are going through the way of much more extreme conditions,” Catherine says.

“The species have developed to be present in a seasonal cycle. If that cycle is breaking, those species will also break. We know that it is a real risk that we will lose the vast part of nature due to climatic effects.”