Project Budburst: Citizen Science for Kids

It's officially spring today, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share a citizen science initiative that I heard about a while ago. This project -- Project Budburst -- deals with phenology: the study of organisms and how they change with the seasons and with variations in climate or habitat. The creators of this project ask ordinary people to make observations of the plants around them in the hope it will help scientists understand how plant species are reacting to climate change.

There are two ways to participate in Project Budburst. You can make a single report -- observing a plant once on a walk or hike and writing down what it is doing (budding, flowering, etc) at that moment. Or else you can choose a plant -- a tree, shrub, patch of wildflowers or grasses -- and observe it throughout the year, reporting the date when that plant buds, flowers, fruits, and loses its leaves. (Project Budburst provides worksheets for thousands of different plants and lets you know what you're looking for if you're not sure).

Anne and I have been watching the plants in our yard for signs of spring for a few weeks now. The previous owners of our house planted a ton of bulbs in our yard, and every morning it seems like something new has come up overnight. So far we have gorgeous hyacinths and crocuses and beautiful double daffodils. We've been watching diligently for the first bud on our our bare hydrangea bushes and found it yesterday.

Happy Spring! What's growing in your yard? And do you think your kids would enjoy participating in Project Budburst?