Spring coming earlier in US because of climate change, scientists say

Study predicts plants will start budding three weeks sooner by end of century as climate change exerts direct effect on seasonal calendar

Scientists have confirmed what gardeners have long suspected: spring is coming much earlier in the US, with plants projected to bud three weeks earlier by the end of the century because of climate change.

By 2100 plants will green up 22.3 days earlier in much of the country, with the biggest jump on spring occurring in the western US.