Erratic weather 'harms wildlife'

UK wildlife is struggling to cope as erratic and unseasonal weather has taken its toll for a second consecutive year, the National Trust says. It says birds, mammals and particularly insects have all suffered from a cold, late spring, a wet summer with little sunshine and a long, dry autumn. The trust says species under threat include puffins, marsh fritillary butterflies and lesser horseshoe bats. It says birds, mammals and particularly insects have all suffered from a cold, late spring, a wet summer with little sunshine and a long, dry autumn. … Matthew Oates, a conservation adviser for the National Trust, said: "Many iconic species closely associated with the four seasons are having to cope with higher incidents of poor weather as our climate becomes more unpredictable. "After two very poor years in a row we desperately need a good summer in 2009 otherwise it’s going to look increasingly grim for a wealth of wildlife in the UK. "Climate change is not some future prediction of what might happen, it’s happening now and having a serious impact on our countryside every year."