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How to become a ‘citizen scientist’ Melanie Priesnitz, NS PlantWatch Coordinator

What is a scientist?: 

What is a scientist? What image pops into your head when you hear the word scientist?

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You can be a scientist too! Citizen scientists like you and me come in all shapes and sizes

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What do PlantWatch citizen scientists do? Go outside during the spring and observe: when flowers bloom when trees get their leaves record this information on a simple form report their findings to the PlantWatch website

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Who looks at the data on the website? Scientists all across Canada who study: climate change global warming greenhouse gas effect They look at how these things affect plants and the natural world

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Climate Change – a recorded change in long-term weather patterns refers to increases and decreases of average temperatures change in annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall overall change in the number and strength of storms What do all of these terms mean?

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The Greenhouse Effect: Scientists know that greenhouse gases make the Earth warmer by trapping energy in the atmosphere without this greenhouse effect the Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live but if the greenhouse effect becomes too strong it could = problems for humans, plants, and animals

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Global Warming: an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate A warmer Earth may cause: changes in rainfall patterns rising sea levels more severe winter storms = a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans if warming happens too quickly wildlife may not be able to properly adapt

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How is this all connected? When we talk about the issue of climate change we’re concerned about global warming caused by the greenhouse gas effect caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels [driving cars, burning oil in our furnaces etc.] PlantWatch Citizen Scientists help Scientists discover how climate change is affecting plants

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How to start ‘PlantWatching’ Go to: http://www.plantwatch.ca Click on ‘submit observations’ and register yourself as an observer

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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)     Also known as: pis-en-lit in french Bloom time: April – June + General - Common plant, introduced to Canada from Europe for food and medicine. Flowers & Fruits - Flower heads are yellow and the flower stem is hollow and leafless. After full bloom, white, fluffy, round balls of seeds appear. The parachuted seeds are blown away by the wind.

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To Observe 1 metre square patch of dandelions at least 10m away from buildings, watch same patch each year First bloom: when the first flowers are open in the observed plants Mid bloom: when the first seed-head opens, forming a white, fluffy ball of seeds Make sure your patch is not mowed until you have made your observations.

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Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)     Also known as: crackerberry, dwarf cornel Bloom time: May - June General - Low, woodland plant, grows in patches. Flowers & Fruits – Flowers are tiny and green or cream-coloured, each plant has a single cluster with four showy white bracts that look like petals. The fruits are red berries that appear later in the summer. The flowers exhibit explosion pollination!

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To Observe When flowers open, black central dots are visible, (stigmas). First bloom: when the first flowers are open in the observed plants. Mid bloom: when half of the flowers are open in the observed plants. Select a typical 1m patch of plants. Watch the same plants each year.

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Larch (Larix laricina) Also known as: tamarack, hackmatack Bloom time: April - May General - Medium-sized conifer; grows up to 20 m tall. Larch is the only conifer that sheds its needles annually Flowers & Fruits - Male and female cones can appear on the same branches, observe male cones only for PlantWatch. Male cones: small, less noticeable mounds of yellow-brown pollen sacs that wither and fall after shedding pollen. Female cones: pinkish-purple mini-cones about 1 cm long.

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To Observe First bloom: when the first pollen is being shed by the male cones on the observed tree in 3 places. Mid bloom: when half of the male cones are abundantly shedding pollen. Leafing: when the needles are lengthening and opening at the tip in 3 places.

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Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Also known as: swamp maple Bloom time: March - April General - Small to medium-sized deciduous tree with grey bark. Flowers appear before the leaves. Flowers & Fruits - Flowers emerge from dark red buds in early spring and form dense, short-stalked clusters. Male and female flowers usually grow on different branches of the same tree, but they can appear on separate trees. Male flowers are red and long Female flowers are smaller, lighter red or greenish yellow Observe only the male flowers for PlantWatch.

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To Observe First bloom: when the first 3 male flowers are open on the observed tree. Mid bloom: when half of the flowers are open on the observed tree. Leafing: when the first 3 leaves push out of the bud and unfold completely. Remember look for male blooms before leaves

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School kids in the 1920’s looked at the same information Dr. Alexander Howard McKay, Superintendent of Schools NS 1900’s, decided every school child should become a naturalist! For 23 years school kids recorded over 200 natural events annually. We still have the data today!

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Be a part of history Learn about plants and nature Get outside for fresh air & exercise Learn about science and the environment Become more observant of the world around you Have fun and spend time with friends, family, classmates HAVE FUN By getting involved with PlantWatch you will:

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Melanie Priesnitz, NS PlantWatch Coordinator Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, Acadia University botanicalgardens@acadiau.ca ?