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Citizen-Scientists Watch Flowers for Clues About Climate

Chicago Botanic Garden’s Project Budburst in second full year

Media Only:
Gloria Ciaccio
(847) 835-6819, direct
gciaccio@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (March 24, 2009) — The Chicago Botanic Garden is asking volunteers to participate in a nationwide initiative, known as Project Budburst, to track climate change by recording the timing of flowers and foliage. The project started as a three-month pilot program in Chicago in 2007 and has amassed nearly 5,000 observations from students, gardeners, and other citizen-scientists to give researchers information about the response of plants to our changing climate. The program is coordinated in partnership with The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the University of Montana.

Data indicated in 2008 that forsythia in Chicago opened their first flowers from April 17 to 19 — almost a week earlier than the 2007 flowering dates of April 23 to 25. “While we cannot say anything definitive about climate change with just two years of data, the first bloom for several species was earlier in 2008 than 2007. This is what we would expect as temperatures warm. Many people may welcome an earlier spring, but plants could be in trouble if they bloom before their pollinators are present,” said Dr. Kayri Havens, director of the Division of Plant science and Conservation at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Overall, 4,861 observations were reported online in 2008 from participants in every state except Hawaii.

"Plants provide a wonderful context for learning about the environment,” says Project Budburst director Sandra Henderson of UCAR's Office of Education and Outreach. “They respond to changes in temperature and precipitation, which are things that climate scientists are very interested in. By observing plants, our volunteers are providing information about our climate that would otherwise not be available."

"Project Budburst is a fantastic way for people of all ages to reconnect with the natural world. Getting outside and observing plants is not only fun but can provide valuable data for scientists studying how plants will respond to climate change,” Havens said.

When Havens and Henderson analyzed observations from the last two years, they found some other interesting comparisons. In 2008, for example, flowering dogwood in Wadsworth, Ohio, reached full bloom on May 8, 2008, which was two weeks earlier than in 2007.

Havens and Henderson warned, however, that they could not draw any results about global warming from just two years of data. Scientists will have to analyze observations for many years in order to distinguish the effects of long-term climate trends from year-to-year variations in weather.

“We will need volunteers to make observations for a number of years before we can fill in an accurate picture about the impact of climate change on our landscape,” Henderson says.

How the project works

Each participant in Project Budburst selects one or more plants to observe. The project website (www.budburst.org) suggests more than 75 widely distributed trees and flowers, with information on each. Users can add their own choices.

Participants begin checking their plants at least a week prior to the average date of budburst — the point when the buds have opened and leaves are visible. After budburst, participants continue to observe the tree or flower for later events, such as seed dispersal. When participants submit their records online, they can view maps of these “phenophases” (plant life-cycle stages like first flower or first fruit) across the United States.

“When these data are collected for many years in a row, they reveal hints about how variations in the weather affect plants and animals in our environment,” says Carol Brewer, University of Montana biology professor. “When we have data for many years, we can look for signals of climate change in the timing of leafing and flowering.”

The science of phenology, or tracking cyclic behavior among plants and animals, has a distinguished history. For centuries farmers, naturalists, and scientists have kept careful records of the phenology patterns of plants and animals. Farmers have long used their phenology knowledge to predict the best time for planting and harvesting crops and when to start expecting problems with insect pests.

A warming trend

Numerous plant and animal species throughout the world are being affected by climate change. Some plants respond to warmer temperatures by extending their growing seasons. Others shift their ranges toward the poles or to higher elevations.

At the same time, many insects breed and disperse based on regular cycles of sunlight rather than temperature. This can cause a mismatch between the behavior of pollinating insects, such as bees, and flowers that bloom earlier than the insects expect. Such asynchronous behavior has already been noted across many parts of the world.

Project Budburst is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Ecological Observatory Network, National Geographic Education Foundation, and U.S. Forest Service. The USA National Phenology Network is one of Project Budburst’s partners. The project is also supported by the National Science Foundation and is hosted on Windows to the Universe, a UCAR-based educational website.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.