Whats going on with the Broad Leaved Helliborines ?

I wonder what can be going on with the Broad Leaved Helliborines.

To be honest with you I did notice a couple of weeks ago that the Broad Leaved Helliborines seemed thin on the ground compared to normal years, and also that most of them that were showing still had their drooping heads, but the thing that struck home most was the buds seemed different, small and little content.

Well this morning is not much better,  I was checking out two or three of the pavements on Hutton Roof and the first pavement I would normally see about 30 good plants and this was down to only 4 this year and of the four they did not look that strong but weak looking (see photos below). The next pavement was the same whereby normally I would get ten but this year down to only three.

So Why are they so far behind?
Why is their far less plants this year than normal years?
Why is the growth this year so poor with feeble buds seen in most specimens?

Let me show you photos of the first three I found.

This one will probably be OK and is probably the best I saw today. 

The second one I found looked weak and feeble compared to most years

No 3 was the same looked weakish especially in the buds.

I will hopefully be monitoring them day by day over the next week or so. Tomorrow I am hoping to check out pavements on the other side and we will see what they have to offer.

Did manage to find a couple with their base flowers just starting to open (see next photo)

Same Plant No.4 just bottom 5 flowers opening up. - very greeny plant

Nice patch of Hemp Agrimony

Well birdwise very little, with just one or two Willow Warblers calling with their "hou whit" contact call and also Bullfinch calling.  One surprise is I thought I heard a very distant Cuckoo, but just purely one call and finish so I never thought much more about it until talking to a friend this morning who had also heard one calling over the past couple of days on Lancelot, so I presume it will be a passing bird, but never realised they called whilst stopping off on their return! (interesting).

Local Swift numbers have plummeted with the bulk of the birds having left on July 29th and 30th, we are now left with maybe four at best.  Also lots of Swallows and Martins already on their way back (early for them!)