The National Trust has released its annual weather and wildlife review and as 2023 is anticipated to be the warmest year on record the charity has warned of how the loss of predictable weather patterns could cause chaos for nature.

Here’s a month-by-month look at the National Trust review for the East of England.

January

It was a successful breeding season for grey seals at the Norfolk coast, with more than 4,500 seal pups at Blakeney Point.

National Trust rangers spotted two sets of common lizards on the Norfolk Broads, which was much earlier than usual for native reptiles.

February

Winter flooding led to impressive numbers of waterfowl on the Norfolk Broads. This was good news for ducks and pintails but not for small mammal numbers, particularly moles, voles and mice, which either drowned due to floodwater or were pushed out of the area.

Unprecedented river levels returned in December causing more flooding across the region.

March

Flooding reduced grass growth in the Norfolk Broads, affecting spring and early summer grazing routines.

Black headed gulls nested on Higham Holmes for the first time ever and a dozen pairs were recorded.

In Suffolk, rangers noticed a drop in moth numbers. Usually they spot 24 different species, but this year they only found 20.

April

It was a good year for blossom across most areas of the country, with bluebells and dandelions putting on a good show.

At Felbrigg and Sheringham it was a bad year for butterflies, except red admirals which there were more than usual.

May/June

It was a late season for invertebrates across the East of England, with low numbers of swallowtail butterflies but dragonflies, including the Norfolk Hawker, did okay.

Due to a dry month on the Suffolk coast, Trust teams had to manually dampen the site to help wading birds and their chicks.

Bird flu struck across six National Trust sites.

READ MORE: Norfolk Wildlife Trust nature photography winners revealed

July

An infrared drone survey revealed a 60pc loss in heather at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, which is usually a blanket of purple. It was due to the 2022 summer drought, extreme heat and high numbers of heather beetles.

Several mature and veteran beech trees in Norfolk – particularly at Blickling – are in decline.

August

July was the UK’s sixth wettest on record, meaning many farmers faced challenges bringing in their harvests.

September

It was a bumper year for nuts and berries in the East of England.

October

Storms Babet and Cairon cause flooding across the country.

November/December

Freezing temperatures across the country with some snowfall.