West Midland birch trees are in danger of dying out if climate change continues to heat up the region.
According to the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and Black Country, soaring temperatures this summer meant almost a quarter of birch trees on the A38 corridor wilted and died.
Neil Wyatt, chief executive, said: "The sandy soil across Birmingham and Black Country, mainly along the A38, is very prone to drying out.
"This meant we saw a huge number of dead birch trees this summer.
"Although temperatures were exceptional, experts are predicting that in less than 50 years they will be pretty much the norm.
"This kind of weather will certainly harm our birch trees and the West Midland landscape we know is going to disappear."
The loss of some native trees is just one of the ways experts predict climate change will hit the region's wildlife.
According to the UK Climate Impacts Programme, carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels has contributed to a rise in West Midland temperatures of 0.6 degrees Celsius during the 20th century.
UKCIP also predict a further rise of between three and five degrees Celsius by 2080, which, Mr Wyatt said could have a big effect on local wildlife.
"The West Midlands is going to look a very different place with different trees, different flowers, different wildlife," he said.
"There will be the loss of some species that we know very well and there will also be surprises with the arrival of new plants and animals."
Some of the biggest winners from the region’s temperature rise will be plants introduced into the UK by gardeners.
"Unfortunately, the ones that are really reaping the benefits of climate change are those that can be rampant weeds such as Japanese Knotweed, Water Fern and New Zealand pygmy weed," Mr Wyatt said.
Warmer weather has also seen butterflies and dragonflies become more succesful across the West Midlands.
"One species that is starting to do well in the West Midlands is the Hummingbird Hawk Moth," Mr Wyatt said.
"It has been in the region for some time, but was more prevalent in the south west. Now spottings have started to rise here."
A particularly exotic addition the region is the ring-necked Parakeet. Escaped pets have flourished in the south-east and warmer weather is now bringing them to the Midlands. They have already arrived in the south Birmingham with spottings in Selly Oak and King’s Norton.
But, according to Mr Wyatt, one of the biggest native losers will be the region's bluebell woods.
He said: "Bluebell woods have a very delicate balance - the bluebells flower when there are no leaves on the trees and die back when the trees start to bud.
"As the season change the temperate rises earlier and trees leaves are bud earlier. But bluebells are triggered by the amount of sunlight they get, so they end up with a much shorter growing season.
"That is why you do not get spectacular bluebell woods in France."
The region's native bird species are also going to change with Dartford warblers likely to be a real success story. The small heathland bird, traditionally from the south, saw numbers plummet in the 1960s due to harsh winters. Now numbers are slowly expanding.
Andy Waters from the RSPB said: "Dartford Warblers could do well in the West Midlands due to warmer winters, since they are a small resident bird on the very northern edge of their natural range.
"They are only likely to thrive if good quality heathland is available so Cannock Chase and Sutton Park will be important."
But the West Midlands' wading birds – already suffering form the effects of development, forestry and farmland drainage – are unlikely to benefit. Mr Waters said: "The lapwing is a good example of climate change's additional impacts. They need muddy fields and pools to probe for insects, but hotter weather and summer droughts may dry these out."
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WINNERS
Japanese Knotweed Introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant during the 1800s, this plant can grow as much as two centimetres a day shading out native plants. In 1985 it was made illegal to plant it.
Hummingbird Hawk Moth Abundant in the Mediterranean, Central Asia and Japan, the moth can be found in the UK between June to September. It is named after its resemblance to a hummingbird, with its rapid hovering motion as it feeds on the nectar of flowers.
Ring-necked Parakeet The only parrot to have bred in the wild in the UK. Originally from Africa and South Asia, they have thrived due to mild winters and a lack of predators. The largest colony of around 7000 birds is at Esher in Surrey.
Dartford Warbler A native of lowland heathland and commons with gorse and heather, the Dartford Warbler is named after its scratchy, warbling song. It is still listed as an amber species by the RSPB after numbers were threatened by harsh winters in the 1960s.
LOSERS
Birch Found growing mostly in northern temperate climates, the birch is a smallish fast growing tree. Two varieties exist in the UK - silver and downy.
Bluebells Britain's "favourite flower", 70 per cent are found in woodland, although much of this habitat has been destroyed for agriculture or converted to coniferous woodland. Interbreeding with Spanish bluebells and the resulting hybrids is also posing a threat to the native variety.
Lapwing According to the British Trust for Ornithology, the UK lapwing population fell by at least 40 per cent between 1970 and 1998. This was mainly due to a loss of areas of mixed farming - its main habitat. Declines in the west of the UK are leading to local extinction.
Song Thrush Listed as a red species by the RSPB due to a seriously decline in numbers. Although milder winters may make survival a little easier for the adults, more severe and frequent summer storms may threaten their chicks. Heavy rain or hail can kill young songbirds in the nest.
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