PlantWatch Nova Scotia

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• PlantWatch Nova Scotia
• Melanie Priesnitz, NS PlantWatch Coordinator

Citizen Scientists help Scientists discover how
Climate Change affects nature
PlantWatch, Citizen Scientists, Climate Change
and what it means to Nova Scotia How YOU can get
involved
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What is a scientist?
Traditionally images such as this may come to
mind
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Not all scientists wear lab coats!
Citizen scientists Integrating science into the
community
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• Benefits of Citizen Scientist programs
• Track trends data on local, regional and
  national levels
• An activity for all ages, great for grandparents
  and kids
• Great way to become familiar with local flora
  fauna
• Improve partnerships and networks within
  communities

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What is PlantWatch?
Joint Effort
institutions/organizations in all 13
provinces/territories Purpose involves
Canadians of all ages in the observation of
nature helps scientists discover how and why
plants are being affected by change
climate encourages stewardship and respect for
nature, raises awareness of science and the
environment
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What do PlantWatch citizen
scientists do?
Go outside in spring and observe first and
mid bloom dates of flowers leafing out dates
of trees record this information on a simple
form report their findings to the PlantWatch
website
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Phenology
Phrenology
Phenology The recording of data pertaining to
the natural world and how it is affected by
climatic conditions. Swedish born botanist
and father of plant taxonomy, Carl Linneaus
was one of the first in the world to begin
recording phenology in the 1700s.
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NS School kids in the 1920s recorded
phenological events
Dr. Alexander Howard McKay, Superintendent of
Schools NS 1900s, decided every school child
should become a naturalist! For 23 years school
kids recorded over 200 natural events annually.
We still have the data today!
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How to record PlantWatch phenology
Select a site watch same site each
year Mark your territory so you dont
forget Get outside watch spring
happen Record the data the form is simple
Send in via mail/internet youre done (until
next year)
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• PlantWatch Observation Form
• Name of Plant ___________________________________
  __
• Flowering Phase
• First Bloom (month/day/year) ____________________
  ______
• Mid Bloom (month/day/year) _____________________
  _____
• Leafing
• Leafing (month/day/year) ________________________
  _____
• Plant Location
• Location Name _____________________________
• Closest city or town ___________________________
  __
• Province/Territory __________________________
  ___
• Latitude ___ ___ ___ N Longitude __ __
  __ W
• Elevation (if known) ___________(metres)
• Habitat Type
• Deciduous forest Marsh, bog, wetland
• Coniferous forest Farmland
• Mixed forest Residential garden/lawn
• Tundra/barren Schoolyard

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15 Species in NS to Watch

• Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
• Mayflower (Epigaea repens)
• Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
• Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
• Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
• Weeping Forsythia (Forsythia suspensa)
• Tamarack/Larch (Larix laricina)
• Bluets (Houstonia caerulia)
• Star-flower (Trientalis borealis)
• Clintonia (Clintonia borealis)
• Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense)
• Purple Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
• Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

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Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)    Also
known as crackerberry, dwarf cornel Bloom time
May - June General - Low, woodland plant,
grows in patches. Flowers Fruits - Flowers
are tiny and green or cream-coloured, each plant
has a single cluster with four showy white bracts
that look like petals. The fruits are red
berries that appear later in the summer. The
flowers exhibit explosion pollination!
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To Observe When flowers open, black central dots
are visible, (stigmas). First bloom when the
first flowers are open in the observed plants (3
places) Mid bloom when 50 of the flowers are
open in the observed plants. Select a typical
1m patch of plants. Watch the same plants each
year.
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Larch (Larix laricina) Also known as
tamarack, hackmatack Bloom time
April - May General - Medium-sized conifer
grows up to 20 m tall. Larch is our only native
conifer that sheds its needles annually. Flowers
Fruits - Male and female cones can appear on
the same branches, observe male cones only for
PlantWatch. Male cones small, less noticeable
mounds of yellow-brown pollen sacs that wither
and fall after shedding pollen. Female cones
pinkish-purple mini-cones about 1 cm long.
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To Observe First bloom when the first
pollen is being shed by the male cones on the
observed tree (3 places). Mid bloom when 50
of the male cones are abundantly shedding pollen.
Leafing when the tufts of needles are
lengthening considerably and starting to spread
open at the tip (3 places).
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Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

Also known as swamp maple Bloom time
March - April General - Small to medium-sized
deciduous tree with grey bark. Flowers appear
before the leaves. Flowers Fruits - Flowers
emerge from dark red buds in early spring and
form dense, short-stalked clusters. Male and
female flowers usually grow on different branches
of the same tree, but they can appear on separate
trees. Male flowers are red and long Female
flowers are yellowish green and small Observe
only the male flowers for PlantWatch.
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To Observe First bloom when the first male
flowers are open on the observed tree (3
places). Mid bloom when 50 of the flowers are
open on the observed tree. Leafing when the
first leaves push out of the bud and unfold
completely (3 places). Remember look for male
blooms before leaves
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To Observe 1 metre square patch of dandelions at
least 10m away from buildings, watch same patch
each year First bloom when the first flowers
are open in the observed plants Mid bloom when
the first seed-head opens, forming a white,
fluffy ball of seeds Make sure your patch is
not mowed until you have made your observations.

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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)    Also
known as pis-en-lit in french Bloom time April
June sporadically throughout season General
- Common plant, introduced to Canada from Europe
for food and medicine. Flowers Fruits - Flower
heads are yellow and the flower stem is hollow
and leafless. After full bloom, white, fluffy,
round balls of seeds appear. The parachuted seeds
are blown away by the wind.
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How to get started

Go to http//www.plantwatch.ca Click on submit
observations and register yourself as an
observer http//botanicalgardens.acadiau.ca
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Who looks at the PlantWatch data?
Researchers across Canada studying climate change
and phenology
Liette Vassieur, Robert L. Guscott, Peta J.
Mudie. 2001 Monitoring of Spring Flower Phenology
in Nova Scotia Comparison over the last century.
Humboldt Field Research Institute Northeastern
Naturalist 8(4)393-402 Elisabeth Beaubien. 2003
Plant Phenology in Western Canada Trends and
links to the view from Space. EMAN Environmental
Assessment and Monitoring Journal. Volume 88 Nos.
1-3 Melanie Priesnitz 2010? Plant Phenology in
Nova Scotia data trends from 1810-2010. . .
For this to become a reality I need YOUR help!
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NS PlantWatch Data collected to date
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Atlantic Canada Climate Change

• Atlantic Canada may not see the same warming as
  central, western, and northern Canada, however
  predictions show that secondary effects may be
  particularly significant
• rising sea levels
• extreme weather events
• more sever storms
• coastal erosion
• changes in rainfall patterns
• insect pests over-wintering
• increased forest fires

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Will plant and animal communities be able to
adapt quickly enough to survive ? ? ?
Climate change could have a wide range of impacts
on plants, wildlife, and humans
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By getting involved with PlantWatch you will
Help scientists to
understand affects

of climate change Be a part of
history Learn about plants
and
nature Get outside for fresh
air
exercise Learn about science and the environment,
teach others Become more observant of the world
around you Have fun and spend time with family
friends
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?
Melanie Priesnitz, NS PlantWatch Coordinator
Harriet
Irving Botanical Gardens, Acadia University
botanicalgardens_at_acadiau.ca