Planta Con Puntas

There's been a lot of talk recently in the news about global warming. Being the botanist that I am, one thing I've noticed on my travels this winter is the number of plants in bloom. Blooming plants in January! Has spring come early? This spiky chap is in Antonio's garden. Bet its spikes are not as sharp as my claws though.

Factoid: Climate change could affect long established patterns, the study says A Europe-wide study has provided "conclusive proof" that climate change is responsible for spring arriving earlier each year, researchers say. Scientists from 17 nations examined 125,000 studies involving 561 species. The season was beginning on average six to eight days earlier than it did 30 years ago, researchers said.
In regions such as Spain, which saw the greatest increases in temperatures, the season began up to two weeks earlier.