With more snow expected over the coming week, the current climate seems an unlikely habitat for the onsetof spring.
Researchers have recorded encouraging signs with snowdrops, hazel catkins, song thrushes and juvenile blackbirds throughout Scotland.
The Woodland Trust's Nature's Calendar project has found nine records of snowdrops so far, with the first reported sighting on New Year's Day in Strichen, Aberdeenshire.
Other records show snowdrops emerging throughout January in places such as Darvel, Duns, and Newmarket on Lewis.
Other spring events spotted in Scotland this month include elder trees coming into leaf, hazel catkins and the repetitive chorus of the song thrush.
The cold causes less of a problem than a late cold spell, when many more species may be coming out of from hibernation or flowering - as happened in 2013.
The Trust has been monitoring the arrival of the seasons for the last 15 years thanks to a network of volunteer citizen scientists. These sightings build on historical records dating back to the 18th century.
Dr Kate Lewthwaite, Woodland Trust Citizen Science Manager, said: "People still seem surprised to see snowdrops and butterflies in early January but our warmer climate in recent years means this is now pretty common. "
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