National Trust properties face threat from extreme weather

The National Trust, the UK's largest conservation charity, said storms and flooding had damaged some of Britain's most precious heritage properties.

The company said the extreme weather was affecting estates it manages across England and Wales, with many mature trees downed and flooding intruding buildings and gardens.

In its annual summary of how weather and climate are affecting its vast land and property holdings, the trust said widespread warm and wet weather this year was also causing problems.

Increasing “homogenization” is blurring distinctions between seasons, which can be a challenge for many insect species and the predators that rely on them, the report says.

In January, the Tudor estate Avebury in Wiltshire suffered its first flood in 300 years after a series of famous storms hit the country. This is one of many properties affected by Storms Isa and Jocelyn following Storm Genk.

Many of the Trust's properties are not designed to withstand extreme winds and heavy rains like this. Some buildings still retain ancient drainpipes and gutters – often an important design feature – which can overflow during heavy rain, sometimes damaging the interior and exterior.

April was cool and wet, which meant that many flowering plants, including bluebells, came into bloom later than usual, like these beautiful examples at Sheffield Park and Walk Wood in East Sussex Gardens.

Many home gardens will also see plants bloom later, but once they bloom, most plants should perform well, thanks to adequate moisture that keeps many plants strong.

Unstable spring weather has disrupted some wildlife species, including the rare Adonis blue butterfly. Charity Butterfly Conservation said just 333 of the striking creatures had been recorded in an area in west Dorset, home to the species, compared with 1,459 in 2023.

Many bees, wasps and moths also have very low populations.

Keith Jones, climate change adviser at the National Trust, said: “Unpredictable weather is causing wildlife to be thrown into disarray and once 'predictable' seasons are disappearing.”

Wetter weather has helped rewet peatland ecosystems across the country after two years of very dry weather in 2022 and 2023. Rare dragonflies can be seen in various bog ecosystems, including this female Scare Chaser dragonfly in Wickenfen, Cambridgeshire.

Many trees also benefited. Young trees need moisture to establish strong root systems, and wet weather also relieves stress on some older trees that suffer in dry weather.

There's another good news for the Suffolk coast. Rangers at Orford Ness State Nature Reserve have announced the creation of the county’s first gray seal colony. It is believed the seals have made their home on the secluded beach at Orford Ness because there is a low risk of disturbance and because the thriving habitats along Blakeney and Horsey Gap have become overcrowded.

Continued warm weather means autumn is arriving later this year, but it brings with it a burst of colour, with some spectacular displays ranging from gold to terracotta, like at Warrington House in Northumberland.

Thanks to the lack of frost and moist soil, many trees kept their leaves on until November, a month longer than usual. But the fall show came to an abrupt end in the second half of the month, when the ensuing cold snap, Storm Burt, stripped the trees of their leaves in just a few days.

The mild and humid autumn is ideal for the growth of many fungi. Gardeners will notice that other moisture-loving creatures – including slugs and snails – also thrive. In the picture above, a leopard slug eats a false death cap mushroom at Blickling Estate, Norfolk.

The weather has become more variable over the past few weeks, with temperatures ranging from freezing to warm in a matter of days. These camellias bloomed in Glendurgan Gardens, Cornwall, on 20 November.