Spring is here in the Northern Hemisphere and
the rising temperatures and longer hours of sunlight are coaxing a wonderful
array of wild plants into bloom. As welcome as these early harbingers of warm
weather are, some species are flowering almost a month earlier than they were a
century ago, a phenomenon that scientists believe is caused by climate change.
Wildflowers are super-sensitive weather
instruments, blooming in relation to local conditions of temperature and
moisture. For that reason, scientists are using their bloom times to monitor the
effects of climate change – to learn how common plants are responding to the
changes and track where changes are taking place and at what rate.
Across Canada, they are being
aided in their research by “citizen scientists” in a program called PlantWatch,
a joint venture among Nature Canada (formerly the Canadian Nature Federation)
and Environment Canada’s Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, with
partners at university and botanical gardens, as well as environment
organizations, in the various provinces and territories.
PlantWatch
volunteers are plant lovers and environmentally concerned people who annually
record flowering and leafing times for selected local plant species and report
these dates to researchers through the Internet or by mail. Registered
volunteers are provided with a reporting form, which is also available on the
PlantWatch website. Specific plant locations, including elevation, latitude and
longitude, habitat type, sun exposure and slope details, as well as the weather
all affect bloom times and help researchers interpret the information submitted
by PlantWatchers. Completed data submitted on the PlantWatch website is
instantly added to a series of maps, providing instant feedback to PlantWatchers
about their areas.
Indicator Species
The most useful plants for spring plant
watching studies are perennial, easy-to-identify, broadly distributed, naturally
occurring species with a short bloom period. These key “indicator” plants tend
to ...
Wendy Priesnitz is
the Editor of Natural Life Magazine and a journalist with over 30 years of
experience. She has
also authored nine
books.
Visit her
website.
