Drastic consequences

Up to eight seasons instead of four

The weather is going crazy more and more often. The reason for this is that the seasons have shifted.(Bild: Matic Štojs Lomovšek - stock.a)

Four seasons, nicely organized in their sequence - this seasonal cycle no longer exists. It's as if someone has shaken everything up. Due to climate change, we now have up to eight seasons.  

A special beech tree near Pressbaum, just outside Vienna, is well over 100 years old. This tree, called "Primavera", has been specially selected as an indicator of the growing season. When it begins to "rustle", it is an unmistakable sign that spring has arrived. The hidden spectacle of nature, which can only be heard from the outside with a stethoscope, namely that the roots begin to pump water into the crowns, shifts more and more into February and is an indication that the seasons are in flux and have now shifted properly.