The Light Returns
On missing cold frosty days and some reasons to be hopeful for the year ahead
We’ve reached the point in the year when the days lengthen again and the nights get shorter without having had much in the way of wintery weather yet here in South East England. There were a few chillier days about a month ago with a glimpse of frost but the cold snap didn’t last long and recently we’ve had days of double-digit temperatures again.
While there are advantages to the milder weather particularly for those who struggle to afford to heat their homes, it’s a worrying sign of just how much the climate is changing. The unusual temperatures are having an impact on the natural world too. The bulbs that I planted a couple of months ago are already shooting up in several places and I’ve seen snowdrops flowering and heard reports of daffodils in bloom in central London. It’s far too early for all of this. Will these flowers survive if we get a real Winter now before Spring truly arrives?
Periods of colder weather are also important for killing off the parts of the natural world we’re less keen on. Many harmful bugs and parasites can’t survive sub-zero temperatures so their numbers are usually significantly reduced in winter, thus limiting the impact they can have, but as winters get warmer, their numbers and the threats they pose are increasing. We need a few good sharp frosts to hold them back.
I want some colder weather too simply because I miss those Winter mornings when you can see your breath and a crisp frost transforms even the dullest patches of grass into a place of shimmering beauty as the sun rises. Hopefully we’ll have a few more such days before this Winter is over.
Reasons to be hopeful
As this has been a hard year in so many ways – for me personally and for the world – I thought it would be good to finish my final post of 2025 with a few reasons to be hopeful for the year ahead so here goes:
1. White Storks to return to the capital: the London Wildlife Trust has recently announced the launch of a major new species recovery project which will reintroduce White Storks to restored wetland habitats in East London. The birds are expected to be on site by Autumn 2026, and Beavers will also be released the following year. In other exciting news for those with an interest in London, Sir David Attenborough will be exploring the capital’s wildlife in a new BBC series called Wild London which starts on New Year’s Day.
2. Shooting Hares to be banned in England: Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton was my favourite book of 2025. When I wrote about it back in September, I mentioned Chloe Dalton’s campaign for the introduction of a “closed season” for Hares who are currently the only game species not protected from being shot during their breeding season. Now The Guardian is reporting that the Government plans to introduce changes to animal welfare legislation which will include a ban on hunting hares for most of the year.
3. The greenest Christmas yet: We may have no chance of a white Christmas but apparently this one is on track to be “Britain’s greenest yet” according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso) if the mild, windy weather we’ve been having recently continues. This is based on predictions of how much carbon dioxide will be released to produce electricity on Christmas Day.
Finally, I’d like to wish you all a happy, relaxing time over the festive break and many more things to be hopeful about in 2026.
I'm in the south east, too, and yesterday my husband brought a bunch of snowdrops to my desk from my garden. I was both delighted (lovely gesture!) and dismayed (too early!).
Yes, we're having such a false spring, it's the same in the north too. I can't get my head around there not just being frost every morning at minimum. Great environmental shares - I had no idea we were on track to be such a green Christmas how lovely 💚