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Climate change is causing plants in Britain to flower almost a month earlier on average, according to a new study.  Scientists at Cambridge University say they confirmed the trend after examining records from a citizen science database dating back to the 1700s. They say there will be dire consequences for both nature and agriculture if the change becomes established.  Professor Ulf Buntgen, the lead researcher of the study, explains that the early flowering is due to warmer temperatures. The research concluded that, across more than 400 species, the first flowering is happening 26 days earlier than in the middle of the 20th century. If plants and crops flower too soon, a later frost can damage them, with persistently warmer winters causing a harmful shift to the wider ecosystem. Photo: A tree in blossom Credit: Getty Images