Some plant species that bud early may be susceptible to a snap frost later,br and early growth of grasses and other vegetation can disrupt some animals’ usual cycles of spring feeding and growth.br First leaf can vary greatly from year to year and location to location, but the general long-term trend is toward earlier springs.br By JEREMY WHITE and HENRY FOUNTAIN MARCH 8, 2017br After a mild winter across much of the United States, February brought abnormally high temperatures, especially east of the Rockies.br Spring weather arrived more than three weeks earlier than usual in some places,br and new research released Wednesday shows a strong link to climate change.br This year, with the exception of a few small areas, the wave has arrived much earlier than the 30-year average.br It can wreak havoc on schedules that farmers follow for planting andbr that tourism officials follow for events that are tied to a natural activity like trees blooming.