Global warming detectives
sought for Project BudBurst

Is spring coming earlier? When are plants leafing out and blooming around Montana? This spring, the public can help answer these and other questions through a new national science project that began April 1.

Project BudBurst is designed to document when plants leaf and bloom in North America. During the campaign, scientists are asking people throughout Montana and beyond to take walks in nature to gather data for the nationwide research project to study the effects of climate change on native plants.

University of Montana biological sciences Professor Carol Brewer leads the project in conjunction with a group from universities, botanical gardens and research institutes around the country. The annual field campaign was conceived and developed by the Citizen Science working group of the National Phenology Network.

“Project BudBurst is about phenology – the timing of when plants put out leaves and flowers,” Brewer said. “We like to say that phenology is nature’s clock. Watch it and use it.”

From April through mid-June, Montanans will help collect valuable information that can then be compared to historical records to illustrate the effects of climate change, Brewer said.

“We need data over many years to sort out the influence of year-to-year variation from the influence of a warming earth,” she said. Those who choose to participate will be asked to observe when leaves and flowers first start to come out. Between April and June, they will continue to collect data as plants they observe fully leaf out and flower. “It’s as simple as that,” Brewer said.

Thirty native trees and shrubs, 24 wildflower species, two common exotic weeds and two common exotic ornamentals have been targeted for the initial field campaign of the project during spring 2007. The species were chosen because they are easy to identify and widespread, spanning the continental United States.

The first step to become involved is to log on to the project Web site at http://www.budburst.org to get a list of species for your region. For more information, call Brewer at 406-243-2632 or e-mail her at carol.brewer@umontana.edu.