Project BudBurst gets students outdoors to observe plant phenophases and learn how climate change affects them. ©Denver Botanic Gardens

Growing and observing plants are typical activities in many science classes, and plants offer an easy way to implement inquiry-based science in and outside the classroom. Plants also can serve as a window for exploring climate change, and a national scientific research project called Project BudBurst can help teachers open that window for their students.

Project BudBurst engages teachers and students in observing the phenophases, or phases of a plant’s life cycle, such as first leaf, leaf coloration, leaf fall, and first ripe fruit. Since climate change causes variances in factors affecting phenophases—such as temperature, water evaporation, rainfall, length of day, and plant interactions with birds and insects—studying plants can show students the consequences of climate change.

The project, started as a pilot program in 2007 and managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the Chicago Botanic Garden, and University of Montana, has gathered thousands of observations from students and other citizen scientists. “Project BudBurst came about as a result of the need to empower everyone to contribute to climate change research,” explains Kirsten Meymaris of UCAR’s Office of Education and Outreach, who serves as the project’s lead technologist. “We wanted a project without barriers for participation, so that anyone, anywhere, could participate—including urban areas, rural areas, for people of all ages and levels of education.”

Fifth graders in Mary Anstey’s class at Riverside Elementary School in Greenwhich, Connecticut, record their observations of trees and plants on school grounds. Their work will become part of Project BudBurst’s national data collection effort. ©Mary Anstey

The project requires no special materials or equipment. “Nothing special [is] needed to participate in Project BudBurst since everyone lives near some kind of plant,” Meymaris points out. Students collect data on trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses in their local areas. They then analyze their data and enter the results at www.budburst.org to be included in the national data collection effort. They also can compare their observations with those of students in other regions.

Project BudBurst also helps scientists by contributing data to other national databases, such as the USA National Phenology Network (www.usanpn.org), National Ecological Observatory Network (www.neoninc.org), and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (www.ncar.edu), notes Meymaris.

Mary Anstey, a teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Greenwich, Connecticut, says she joined the project because she “was searching for a national science project that had real-time data collection and felt Project BudBurst was a perfect fit.” She wants her students to be environmentally aware and “to develop independent, well-informed perspectives” on issues like climate change. “It is important that they ask good questions and follow up with careful observation…to make informed decisions about the environment,” she explains. Small groups of her students have observed trees and plants on school grounds.

The project’s website provides teachers with materials created by science educators from UCAR’s Office of Education and Outreach and Chicago Botanic Garden. These include identification and phenophase field guides, reporting forms, and a K–12 teacher guide. “As a class, we read the background material available on Project BudBurst’s website,” says Anstey. “We used their photos to identify the plant species, follow the stages, and record data.” While she has experienced “a few security issues with [the] ability to record the data online as a class,” she reports those issues have been resolved, and this year, she and her students will be able to record their observations as a team.

“The beauty of Project BudBurst is that the concepts are so very simple and well thought out that kindergarten students through upper-grade classes can get involved,” observes Anstey. BudBurst activities are aligned with national science standards and benchmarks and have been categorized into two groups—Plant Parts/Physiology and Plant Observations—with three grade bands: K–4, 5–8, and 9–12. (See www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen science/budburst/educators.php to view and download the activities.)

For example, in Investigating Invasives, an activity from the Plant Parts/Physiology category, high school students will explore invasive plants that “can crowd out native species, reducing biodiversity and disrupting how an ecosystem functions. Students will learn all about invasive plants and why they are harmful; they will also investigate some species that have become established in their local community,” states the website. An example of a Plant Observations activity is a Botanical Scavenger Hunt in which middle level and high school students seek out examples of various botanical features of plants, photograph them, and present their findings to their classmates.

“Beyond allowing mixed grade levels to work together on data collection and data reporting, Project BudBurst offers all students an ongoing opportunity to follow the data from year to year across America,” notes Anstey. “My students keep science notebooks with observations and drawings; the class charts and graphs data; and [students] use the experience in expository writing.” She says Project BudBurst promotes “inquiry learning and cross-content learning incorporating reading, writing, discussion, math, and presentation, and may be done with a minimum time commitment. We often observe during lunch recess.”

Anstey points out the project has begun including data collection on tree leaf color change and leaf drop, as well as bud and leaf development. “We are very excited with this change, as we begin school during this last phenostage in the fall. My students eagerly anticipate the opportunity to begin the project in the fall and follow the entire cycle through spring.”

New Features

On Project BudBurst’s new scientist blog, teachers and students can join Kay Havens, lead botanist, and Paul Alaback, lead science advisor, as they discuss topics related to plants, phenology, and climate change. They also post plant photos at http://projectbudburst.blogspot.com. Readers can suggest topics and comment.

With parental consent, students can join the Project BudBurst group on Flickr at www.flickr.com/groups/projectbudburst to share their own plant photos. Teachers and students who have joined Facebook can access Project BudBurst’s Facebook page from the main project website.