11.   Unusually mild winters resulted in the deaths of large numbers of Mediterranean striped dolphins from a combination of viral infections and toxic pollutants.

12.   But a mild winter and plenty of rain means that this year the flowers have come into bloom a month early.

13.   The wasps are thriving because of the mild winter.

14.   A series of mild winters has meant leaps in the populations of deer in the Highlands.

15.   Environmental health director Dick Carson said a mild winter was the main reason for improved nitrogen dioxide readings last year.

16.   And a mild winter likely would cause prices to collapse.

17.   And much of the consumption boom was probably due to the exceptionally mild winter, which may have induced people to spend more than they might normally have done.

18.   And there is always that rare possibility of an early spring on top of a mild winter.

19.   And to a banana shrub that enjoyed the mild winter and went from tight buds to yellow blooms overnight.

20.   Another mild winter season could again postpone a recovery.