Wednesday 18 July 2012

Rain 'almost apocalyptic' for wildlife, says National Trust


The UK's recent rainy weather has been "almost apocalyptic" for some wildlife in 2012, the National Trust has said.
Cold, wet conditions have left many bees, bats, birds, butterflies and wildflowers struggling - with next year looking bleak too, it said.
But the National Trust pointed to some of wildlife's winners, including slugs and snails, which have managed to thrive in the inclement weather.
The news comes after the wettest April-June on record, and heavy rain in July.
The rain has been good for the UK's greenery, with gardeners tackling fast-growing lawns and the countryside booming with nettles, bracken and brambles, the National Trust said.
Mosses and plants such as early gentian and bee orchids, and twayblade, pyramidal and common spotted orchids have been thriving along the trackways of Whipsnade Downs in Bedfordshire.
But Matthew Oates, the trust's conservation adviser warned that the list of wet weather losers was far longer, and could lead to local extinctions of rare or isolated species, including butterflies.
Puffins drowned
The breeding season has been particularly catastrophic, with sea birds being blown off cliffs by gales and garden birds unable to find food for their young.

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