Article: On Shakespeare's turf, 'darling buds of May' bloom early; An unusually mild winter in Britain is confounding flora and fauna and putting 'homo lawnmowerus' to task in January.(WORLD)

Byline: Mark Rice-Oxley

Ahhh, the smell of freshly cut grass, the chiruping of the song thrush, the distant putt-putt of a lawnmower, the blossoming honeysuckle, and the first cheeky snowdrops and early crocuses poking up through the milky morning sun.

It's enough to make you think spring has sprung.

But hang on a minute. This is darkest January in rural England. It should be bleak midwinter, deep and crisp and even, with earth like iron - or at the very least a time of cold, inhospitable drizzle. In short, prime hibernation time for flora and fauna.

So what's going on?

Already this year, wildlife fans are reporting unusual ...

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