Need help with statistics?

Question

wondering about the 5Ws and the variables for this problem. wondering if anyone could please help me. thanks

In a study appearing in the journal Science, a research team reports that plants in southern England are flowering earlier in the spring. Records of the first flowering dates for 385 species over a period of 47 years show that flowering has advanced an average of 15 days per decade, and indication of climate warning, according to authors.

Answer 1

15 x 4.7 = 70.5 days.  That's over two months earlier.  I don't believe it.

From what I saw in the following article, the greatest shift for one particular plant was 55 days.  Read the article and draw your own conclusions.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/cli...