A study by the Meteorological Agency says fall foliage is appearing more than two weeks later than about 50 years ago and spring flowers are blooming nearly 10 days earlier due to global warming, agency officials said Wednesday.

Maple leaves now turn red an average 15.6 days later in the fall, while ginkgo leaves become yellow 10.7 days later, according to the agency report based on data from 1953 through 2004.

In the spring, camellias start blossoming 9.4 days earlier than 50 years ago, while cherry blossoms appear 4.2 days earlier. Dandelions bloom six days earlier.

"They are influenced by the trend of rising temperatures over the long term because of global warming," the agency said.

The average date cherry trees blossom in six major cities, including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, is 6.1 days earlier than a half-century ago, while in small and midsize cities the date is 2.8 days earlier, suggesting that temperature rises are more pronounced in big cities, due in part to the higher concentration of concrete buildings, which trap heat.

The agency began observing specific trees, plants and animals in 1953 to track the changes of the seasons.

The new study compares the annual data until 2004 with the averages taken for between 1971 and 2000 to see the trend over the past 50 years, the agency said.