Look at Wildflowers, Track Climate Change

If you can look for wildflowers, you can help scientists identify evidence of climate change.

Project BudBurst is a massive citizen science project that asks a very little . To participate, simply register, then observe and record the date and location of flowers and other plants that emerge each spring at a time that is sensitive to weather conditions.

"U.S. students, gardeners and other citizens are entering their observations into an online database that, over time, will give researchers a more detailed picture of global climate change," according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Add a vocabulary lesson to the endeavor free of charge: Phenology is the study of natural phenomenon timed to the climate.

Scientists can show the lengthening of the growing season, for instance, by gathering evidence that early spring plants are blooming early. There is also concern that certain phenomena – like the emergence of certain flowers and certain pollinating insects, or the arrival of migratory birds and the emergence of insect food – may become "decoupled" as the climate changes, leaving flowers unpollinated or birds starved for food.

To register, or learn more, visit budburst.org.

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