RECORD-BREAKING temperatures saw residents across the county basking in glorious sunshine – but the extraordinary weather has sparked some very unusual sights for this time of year.

Gardeners and wildlife watchers have reported a series of unusual occurrences, with flowers coming back into bloom and changes to birds’ migration patterns.

Felixstowe allotment holder David Cole, of Cricket Hill Road, said: “We have got runner beans coming back up when they had near enough died off. They had finished in early September but since we have had this nice warm weather, I think we will get a couple more batches off them.

“My dahlias were also starting to die out but over this last week, they have really come back into their own again.”

“The grapes are starting to grow again and, with this latest burst of sunshine, have definitely got a lot sweeter this year compared to last.

“It’s always a battle for us gardeners – we plant everything hoping they will thrive but it’s all up to Mother Nature.”

Meanwhile poppies were spotted growing in Black Tiles Lane, Martlesham, and Suffolk Wildlife Trust spokeswoman Audrey Boyle said she heard skylarks singing and saw sea campion flowering – which are usually associated with spring-time – during a visit to Orford Ness yesterday.

She added: “The fact that it’s warm now means a lot of mammals who hibernate like hedgehogs and doormice will be able to really stock up before they go into hibernation, and it might even extend the time that they’re active for.

“It gives all the shrubs and bushes time for the fruit to really ripen properly, which is what gets wildlife through the winter.

“I think animals and plants can end up slightly confused, but it is just a blip in their behaviour. I expect everything will go back to normal by the end of next week.”

She added that it was having beneficial effects for species like butterflies, who did badly over the summer because of the cold August weather, but called on residents to put out water to compensate for the dry weather.

Meanwhile birds like redwings and bramblings which would normally migrate here from Scandinavia are yet to be seen in Suffolk in a change to their usual migration patterns.