Local residents are adapting their gardens to thrive despite rising temperatures and extreme weather

Dr Christa Pudmenzky explains how Springfield's June climate is changing. Plus, how will rising temperatures impact green thumbs?

DATA from the Bureau of Meteorology suggests Springfield's June climate is warming.

Back in the early 1970s, the hottest June night reached 13 degrees.

Now, it's more like 15 degrees - around two degrees warmer than 50 years ago.

And these changes are set to continue.

In 10 years time, CSIRO expects that Springfield will have a warmer and drier winter climate more like present day Bundaberg.

So what does this mean?

This could make it harder for gardeners to grow winter veggies like spinach and pumpkin which need cool temperatures to thrive.

As a result, green thumbs are considering drought and heat tolerant species.

One such species is a native known as "Warrigal greens" - an alternative to spinach more suited to a warming climate.

Local community members have also been impacted

Hear from Lisa Air from Springfield:

Want more information on how your climate is changing? Check out the last article in this series.

Dr Christa Pudmenzky is a climate scientist at the University of Southern Queensland.

This column is part of a collaboration between Monash University and News Corp to deliver hyperlocal weather and climate information.