From drought to deluge: How 2025 tested the UK’s wildlife and landscapes

Bookended by storms Éowyn and Bram, 2025 delivered a sun-soaked spring and hottest summer on record followed by autumn floods – a rollercoaster of conditions that has tested nature’s resilience like never before.

The year began with a mild, wet winter punctuated by severe storms but soon swung into the warmest and sunniest spring on record which escalated into a record-breaking summer of heat and drought before ending with bursts of autumn and winter rain, storms and flooding. These extremes left many habitats vulnerable. Smaller streams ran dry, and rivers and reservoirs fell to perilously low levels while baked landscapes contributed to the UK’s worst fire season.

January brought destructive winds with Storm Éowyn resulting in the worst storm damage in decades in Northern Ireland, toppling tens of thousands of trees from Crom in Fermanagh to Mount Stewart in the Ards Penninsula. February brought exceptional rainfall, including 106.4mm in East Anglia—248 per cent above average—making it one of the wettest months on record, before the weather flipped dramatically.

From March to May, the UK basked in its sunniest, warmest spring ever, 1.4°C above the norm, making it the driest spring in over 50 years and the driest spring in more than a century for England. These conditions set the stage for water shortages and early warnings of drought, while marine heatwaves added to the strain, pushing sea temperatures up by 4°C.

Summer was even more punishing with four heatwaves, a peak of 35.8°C in Kent, and rainfall at just 42% of normal in southern England. By August, drought gripped large areas despite isolated storms, and tinderbox conditions sparked Britain’s worst fire season on record – over 47,000 hectares burned – including major blazes at National Trust sites such as Marsden Moor in Yorkshire, Holt Heath in Dorset and Abergwesyn Common in Wales.

Autumn brought a sharp reversal. September was wet and stormy and in October Storm Amy dumped 104mm of rain in 24 hours in Cumbria. By November, Storm Claudia triggered 42 flood warnings across England and Wales, and storm Bram capped the year with a month’s worth of rain on Dartmoor in just 48 hours – a stark reminder of Britain’s increasingly volatile climate.

Commenting on what this year’s weather meant for wildlife, Ben McCarthy, Head of Nature Conservation at the National Trust, said: “Heat, drought and fire are the defining headlines of 2025. In just two years we’ve lurched from a very wet period to record-breaking heat and dryness that put our countryside on red alert. Fires on moors, heaths and in forests have decimated vegetation and the biodiversity these systems support.

“Extremes in weather is nothing new, but it’s the compounded impact of several drought years in a short period - 2018, 2022 and now 2025 - which is putting untold strain on habitats and making life even more difficult for UK wildlife. These are alarm signals we cannot ignore, and we need to work faster, smarter and in a more joined up way.

“But there is hope: where we’ve restored rivers, wetlands and peatlands, nature has shown remarkable resilience. Beaver pools stayed wet and lush, fish and amphibians found refuge, and new wetland projects thrived even in the drought. If we scale up these efforts, we can give wildlife and landscapes the lifeline they need.”

Keith Jones, National Consultant on Climate Change, added: “The drought of 2025 ranks among the most severe since 1976. Hosepipe bans and drought orders were widespread, wildlife struggled, and farmers saw crop yields fall and poor grass growth. At some National Trust places, streams dried up, and ponds dropped so low that fish died.

“These extremes – driest spring, hottest summer – are no longer rare events. They’re becoming the new normal. But practical action makes a difference. Through our work with University College London, we have learnt that data isn’t the driver to making changes. Instead, it’s taking action that can lead to more action, particularly when it’s simple relatable things such as planting a more diverse variety of trees into woodlands, gardens and parklands to create more complexity to help build resilience.

“For example, we’re planting more drought-tolerant trees like hornbeam in Eryri and improving soil health in our gardens to hold more water. By creating landscapes that store water and cope with heat, we can help nature adapt to a changing climate.”

Fire: the hidden cost of heat

The largest fire on National Trust land this year broke out on Abergwesyn Common in Powys, Mid Wales, in April. It burned across 5,365 hectares of peatland, including 1,600 hectares under the Trust’s care – an area 400 times the size of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The blaze destroyed peat that was being painstakingly restored to lock in carbon and water, reversing years of conservation work.

Started deliberately and exacerbated by the impacts of the dry spring on the vegetation, flames at times stretched along a five-mile front, destroying habitats for small mammals, reptiles and birds, including the last known breeding grounds of golden plovers, a rare upland species, in the area.

Other species affected included meadow pipit, skylark, raven, red kite, common lizard, common frog, field vole and rare dragonflies such as the black darter. Rangers warned the ecological damage will be felt for decades.

Peatlands that had been restored to lock in carbon and water were scorched, reversing years of conservation work. The fire released vast amounts of CO₂ and left bogs vulnerable to erosion.

Eight months on, new vegetation masks the damage, but rangers estimate that where the fire took hold, the blaze destroyed around 20 years of peat accumulation. Recovery will require sustained effort and careful grazing management to restore resilience and biodiversity.

Chris Smith, Countryside Manager for the National Trust in Mid and South Wales, said: “The sheer scale of the fire is hard to fathom. Whole ecosystems were decimated. As peat has a recovery rate of around 1mm a year, it will take years for these precious peatlands to reform. Without careful management, regrowth of invasive Molinia, or purple moor grass, – which grows faster than other vegetation - will only fuel future fires and further impoverish the land.

“But we remain focused and committed which brings hope. We’ve already begun planning targeted restoration to rebuild peat and biodiversity, and past experience shows that with the right grazing and habitat work, these landscapes can recover and become more resilient than before.”

Water: rivers and ponds under pressure

Low rainfall left streams and ponds perilously low or dry at several National Trust places.

At Fountains Abbey, water levels dropped and suffocating pond weed flourished, forcing teams to clear vegetation to keep the River Skell flowing and oxygen levels safe for wildlife. At Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, breeding ponds for great crested newts dried up, impacting young, and at Chirk Castle in Wrexham two of the ponds dried up completely.

Rangers at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire had to aerate the Great Pond in July when low water levels combined with rapid cold stormwater saw oxygen levels crash resulting in fish deaths, while Studland’s Little Sea inland lake in Purbeck hit its lowest level since monitoring began, with many shallow pools disappearing entirely.

This autumn, blue-green algae appeared at Portstewart Strand in Northern Ireland - a growing challenge fuelled by warmer waters and nutrient runoff .

However, there was also encouraging news at locations where the charity has rolled out a programme of significant river restoration work since 2018.

The River Aller’s Stage-0 on the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor has created a lush wetland oasis that held good amounts of water enabling species to thrive during this year’s drought including water voles, many bird species benefiting as well including great white egrets, big flocks of gold finches, swifts and house martens as well as evidence of harvest mice in the longer grassy areas. Beaver wetlands also proved their worth, with otters and kingfishers doing well at Holnicote, and the pools created by beavers at Wallington in Northumberland retained water with fish and amphibians finding refuge. Four beaver kits were also born.

At Conwy in north Wales, a project to restore a section of the Afon Machno saw the reconnected floodplain continuing to mature into a vibrant wetland, supporting species such as sandpipers, dippers, kingfishers, frogs, newts, bats, otters, and water voles. The new channels and scrapes mean that water is held on parts of the floodplain for longer, and insects are once again abundant where the wetland habitat has been restored.

Woodlands: trees under stress

Extreme weather continued to place unprecedented strain on trees. Newly planted saplings at National Trust places suffered losses of up to 40 per cent – far above the expected 10–15 per cent factored in each year – while mature trees showed stress through early leaf loss, limb drop and reduced canopy colour. Oaks, already threatened by acute oak decline, are less able to withstand repeated dry years, particularly in the Midlands and East where rainfall is lowest.

The Trust is trialling earlier winter planting, mulches and natural regeneration and colonisation to improve survival. “Both heavy rainfall and drought over the past two years have made it harder for young trees to establish,” said John Deakin, Head of Trees & Woodlands at the National Trust. “Planting earlier in the winter and using mulches can give saplings a better chance of bedding in before spring leaf growth. Natural regeneration and colonisation also offer a solution – young saplings invest in their roots immediately and are potentially more likely to survive a summer drought than a sapling that might have had its roots damaged when planted.”

He continued: “The effects of prolonged periods of heat on mature trees are slower to reveal themselves, but the risks are mounting. Drought weakens trees over time, leaving them vulnerable to disease. The legacy of past droughts and climatic events, like the drought in 1976, or the storm in 1987 are still visible today.”

Across the country, heat stress due to the drought caused early leaf loss, limb drop, and reduced canopy colour. Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff was one of many places to experience a “false autumn,” with katsura trees turning yellow and releasing their burnt sugar scent seven weeks early.

Head Gardener Chris Flynn reflected: “We’ve had three droughts in four years at Dyffryn. Each year it takes more for plants to recover, and the stress is mounting.”

Farming: crops and livestock hit by another year of challenging conditions

The hot and dry spring and summer proved challenging for farmers across the country. Many arable farmers reported smaller yields and a reduction in quality, with analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit estimating a loss to farmers of £800m and describing it as the second-worst harvest since 1984.

For some livestock farmers, it became a struggle to feed their animals. With limited grass growth many had to fall back on using silage/haylage stores earlier than normal resulting in many having to buy in winter feed at additional expense.

At Wimpole, the National Trust’s in-hand organic mixed farm in Cambridgeshire, crops did better than in 2024 when it was very wet, despite the dry conditions. Yields were about average, but the quality was really good. However, forage production was difficult: grass and wildflowers barely grew and as soon as rain hit, the plants ‘bolted’ and set seed, rather than growing. Sileage ran out during spring, due to the delays to the first cut , and in summer, livestock had to be fed with last year’s hay. As farm manager Dave Hassall explains: “These are things we would never normally do but we’ve ended up doing twice in four years as the impact of climate change takes hold.”

Meanwhile it was a different picture at Hafod y Llan, the Trust’s in-hand upland farm on the slopes of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), where staff reported a “near perfect year”. While the rest of the country baked in the heat with little or no rain, periodic showers and mountain drizzle continued to fall on the farm. Lambing went without a hitch, and according to farm manager Arwyn Owen, the sileage/hay harvest was the easiest he can remember in the two decades he’s been at the farm. But late in the year floods hit, when on 1 December, 5.5 inches of rain fell in 18 hours.

Wildlife winners, losers and those experiencing mixed fortunes

Despite this year’s extreme weather, some species thrived – or partially bounced back after 2024’s very wet conditions. Generalist species such as seals, carrion crows and speckled wood butterflies did well thanks to their ability to adapt to warmer temperatures and survive on a varied diet.

Ben McCarthy, explained: “While adaptable species are coping, those with specialist needs – like the wood white butterfly – are in steep decline. The homogenisation of the wider countryside and the loss of diverse habitats across the countryside is accelerating this trend. Protected sites such as SSSIs can no longer act as a safety net; they’re too small and too fragmented to form an effective ecological network. Without urgent, joined-up effective action, nature will continue to decline and government will miss its legal targets.”

The calm, frost-free spring powered a spectacular blossom season followed by a bumper fruit harvest at places like Cotehele in Cornwall and Hughenden in Buckinghamshire.

This particular weather pattern and the dry summer also pushed other trees to produce seeds early and in abundance. The result was an extraordinary mast year, with trees and hedgerow shrubs yielding bumper crops across the country feeding jays, squirrels, deer and countless other species. Although good news for wildlife it remains unclear what the impacts of climate change are on the synchronisation of mast years and the natural regeneration of tree species.

The long spells of warm dry weather suited hazel dormice which stayed active longer and fattened up on autumn’s glut of nuts and berries prior to hibernation.

The warm, dry nights over the summer months were also ideal conditions for moth activity – and at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire it was one of the best years for moth recording on site. Surveys turned up new species including the L-album Wainscot indicating a northward spread linked to climate change.

Pumpkins in Trust gardens ripened six weeks early at Buckland Abbey in Devon, with yields up 50% on last year.

Autumn rains brought a dazzling display of fungi at Dartmoor in Devon including fly agaric and Penrhyn Castle in north Wales where numerous waxcap species were record.

Grey seals continued their upward trajectory at Blakeney Point, Orford Ness and the Farne Islands, with pup numbers expected to break records again. Various species of birds also showed resilience where habitats were well managed: kingfishers and cranes bred successfully at Wicken Fen, nightjars and Dartford warblers thrived on Purbeck heathlands, and Brownsea Island recorded its highest-ever spoonbill count.

At Dunwich Heath numbers of Dartford warblers also rebounded dramatically after previous drought damage to the heathland and on the Longshaw Estate in the Peak District, the pied fly catcher had a successful breeding season.

But for many species, 2025 was brutal. Wetland and ground-nesting birds lost breeding sites as ponds and streams dried. Amphibians suffered, with Formby’s natterjack toads producing no toadlets. Fish such as trout and salmon struggled in shrinking rivers and overheated waters, and otters found hunting harder as their prey dwindled.

Newly planted trees faced up to 40% losses, far above the expected 10–15%, while mature trees showed stress through early leaf loss and limb drop.

Other UK wildlife experienced mixed fortunes. Butterflies seem to have rebounded from 2024’s wet spring and summer, with species in flight earlier than normal due to the warm and settled spring. At Hatfield Forest in Essex, surveys recorded the highest butterfly numbers in nearly 20 years with marbled-white and small heath butterflies particularly abundant and sightings of the elusive purple emperor increasing. Heath fritillary numbers surged at Holnicote in Somerset, and in Eryri in Wales, good numbers of brimstone and silver-studded blue were recorded, though still below 1990s levels, but long-term trends remain fragile.

Raptors like barn owls and kestrels suffered where vole numbers crashed in parched grasslands at Mottisfont in Hampshire and Sherborne in Gloucestershire, though marsh harriers bred successfully at Orford Ness and Pembrokeshire. There was also good news for other birds such as the pied flycatchers at Chirk Castle in Wales and Longshaw in the Peak District with good numbers fledging largely thanks to the dry and more settled weather in the spring allowing adults to forage for longer and the young to stay warm and less exposed.

Seabirds also faced a tough season: Arctic tern nests fell 30 per cent at Long Nanny, and puffin numbers fell by a quarter (23 per cent) on the Farne Islands, even as fulmars and razorbills numbers rose, an encouraging sign after the devastation caused to some species by bird flu.

Dragonflies thrived at Wicken Fen and Anglesey Abbey but vanished from dried-out ponds in the Peak District. Pollinators boomed in spring then dropped sharply in summer heat.

Wildflower meadows struggled in many drought-hit areas like the Cotswolds and Somerset, with seed yields down by 50 per cent, yet restoration and moisture retention delivered bright spots in Wales and Carmarthenshire, where common spotted orchids flourished. However, at Purbeck in Dorset at Hartland Moor, stress-tolerant wildflower species such as stork’s bill and common centaury did well and adaptive grazing created unexpectedly rich habitats for pollinators.

High on the slopes of Eryri, rare Arctic alpine plants are clinging to survival as rising temperatures reshape their fragile habitat. Among them is the tufted saxifrage – with just seven known plants left on the mountain. This year’s drought sparked fears of extinction, but thankfully north Wales escaped the worst of the dry conditions, and all seven plants endured.

Simon Rogers, Countryside Manager for the National Trust in Eryri explained: “These species once thrived in Eryri’s freezing winters and cool summers, but prolonged heat is becoming the norm. Over the past decade, the number of hot years has surged, pushing these plants to the edge.

“Their survival now depends on growing plants in nurseries to restore the population and reducing other threats, from grazing and trampling. But the key thing is how quickly we can reduce our impact on the climate. Species like the tufted saxifrage are like the canary in the coalmine, telling us that they’re struggling under a changing climate. This year they came very close to disappearing from Wales altogether, this should be a wake-up call for us all.”

Autumn out of sync: Nature’s seasonal surprises

The mild, wet autumn triggered a second flush for a range of plants. At Newark Park in Gloucestershire, staff noticed woodland holly flowering in November, while in the Tyne Valley, rangers reported the spring-flowering marsh marigold in bloom, and in the White Peak in the Peak District in Derbyshire the summer flowering harebell was spotted blooming in November.

Other unusual sights included apple trees blossoming in Nottinghamshire and Herefordshire in September and October respectively, and roses at Mottisfont in Hampshire in bloom in December. "The roses don't know what season it is," commented Senior Gardener Michael Howard.

National Specialist for Environmental Horticulture, Rebecca Bevan, explained: "A lot of our garden plants are from different climates and so will often try reflowering when conditions are right. If this has felt especially noticeable this year, it will be because many plants - especially roses - stopped flowering early due to the dry. Later, the wet, warm conditions triggered them to flower more, which may have provided a bit of late nectar for pollinating insects."

Some animals appeared to be out-of-sync with the seasons too. Bats and brimstone butterflies were still on the wing in November in Suffolk, while jackdaws, hooded crows and rooks were flocking and rebuilding their rookeries at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland many months early.

Ben McCarthy, the Trust's Head of Nature Conservation, said: "Blooming apple trees and brimstone butterflies in November are yet more snapshots of the topsy-turvy seasons we're now experiencing on an almost yearly basis. Climate change is driving these milder, wetter autumns, which throw wildlife out of sync. Our generalist species may be able to adapt to an extent, but the specialists will not - and that provides a threat for some of our most precious wildlife."