The changing environment - like snow here in Lawrence last weekend - has scientists convinced they need more information to determine how environmental changes are affecting plants and wildlife, and they need the public's help.
Kansas University's Monarch Watch is appealing to anyone, especially those who have the group's monarch waystations, to log a series of "environmental firsts" this year in order to more accurately determine how short-term environmental factors may be affecting butterflies, bees and other critters.
"We hope we get a lot of people participating because we are dealing with a changing planet," said Chip Taylor, Monarch Watch director.
By visiting the Web site of the National Phenology Network, www.usanpn.org, gardeners, naturalists and others can record the first date they see certain flowers, or seed pods for milkweeds and other plants. Taylor said this mass data collection has never been tried before.
"I think monarch butterflies are a good hook to get people involved," Taylor said. "We have a lot of people in Lawrence who could help do this."
Taylor said people who choose to participate in the project will be able to learn about biology and also gain a better understanding of what it is growing in their gardens.
After several years of this data collection, Taylor said, a group of his colleagues would like to map the normal time for plant and animal appearances and then document the variance from year to year.
This year, for instance, the number of squirrels and butterflies in Lawrence have been reduced by the April freeze last year, Taylor said. With data, the scientists would be able to predict and diagnose why butterflies and bees are not appearing.
How to pitch in
Anyone interested in participating in the plant growth data collection should follow these five steps:
1. Review the list of plants with their pictures and descriptions to determine which live in this area. The list will be available soon on the www.usanpn.org Web site.
2. Create a notebook listing the species you are most likely to observe.
3. Record the firsts for each species, for example, first shoots, first flowers and first seed pods, as appropriate.
4. After you have accumulated a number of observations, visit the National Phenology Network Web site and record the data for each species. The data recording tool is expected to be available later this month.
5. Note which data you have submitted so you don't duplicate your work.
The plants that the network is tracking will have different firsts throughout the fall.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
RedwoodCoast (anonymous) says…
I remember a "flock" of monarchs landing in our pecan tree in our back yard in Crawford County in the very early '90's. I had never seen this before, so I took a few (low quality) photos of it. Definitely a cool butterfly. I wonder how corn agriculture is affecting them. If you live in the country or are familiar with the extra-urban Kansan landscape, I encourage you to participate in this project. Regardless of what your climate change stance is, this could help us better understand and track current and past (and maybe future) ecological parameters of climate.
igby (anonymous) says…
Strangely enough, when Katrina, hit the town of New Orleans, I heard that a flock of butterflies from the African Coast traveled inside the eye and landed in America. Don't know it the story was true but it's surely possible.
RedwoodCoast (anonymous) says…
igby, I know it's late as heck, but that is a pretty cool notion. The New World monkeys got here somehow, and South America has fossils of giant platypii. Sometimes giant clumps of mangrove swamp and/or other mats of vegetation get washed into a major river, which gets washed into the ocean. Sometimes animals can be clinging to the debris and get washed up on distant shores.
johnadavies (anonymous) says…
I intend to spend some time with this effort. Thanks to Chip for the heads up on it!
tribalzendancer (Tim Hjersted) says…
Good films online about sustainability:http://www.filmsforaction.org/films/?Subject=18and climate change...http://www.filmsforaction.org/films/?Subject=19