NEW! Budburst for Families

Budburst is the perfect way to get outside, enjoy, and learn about nature with your family. Whether you’re taking a break from your home office, supplementing your child’s e-learning program, or just getting outside for fun, Budburst has you covered. With engaging, hands-on, activities for children in grades preK-8, you’ll be prepared to explore nature and become a Budburst scientist.


 

How to become a Budburst Citizen Scientist

 


Understand the science of phenology, its history and contributions. 
Meet the five Budburst plant groups, and
Review key phenology events within each plant group.

Select your plant: one featured by a Budburst Project or Partner, or
One from among the 300 Budburst plants!
Will this be a one-time or life-cycle observation?

Register as a Budburst citizen scientist to create your account,
Post your observation reports, and
Review and analyze your data.

Small bee on an aster; photo courtesy of Jane E. Ogilvie.

Nativars Research Project

Spring 2018 - Fall 2022

Nativars are cultivated varieties of native plants that can differ from their parent species in flower color, flower size, scent, phenology, and other ways that may affect their attractiveness to pollinators. With an upsurge in concern about pollinator conservation, many people are asking if it is OK to use nativars in pollinator gardens. To date, there have been very few studies on this and the results have been mixed. So we invite you to join us on this scientific journey to help answer the important question: how do nativars differ from one another and from their parent species in phenology and pollinator attractiveness?

Participate

Education

We offer climate change and phenology materials and tools for formal and informal educators for all age groups. Budburst educator accounts provide a classroom portal, including plants, locations and student accounts.

Budburst data are freely available for anyone to download and use and have been used by scientists, horticulturalists, and educators in the Budburst network and beyond to address current research questions.