We have created a project called Flowers of UBC Botanical Garden to understand patterns in the phenology of our plant collections. We encourage the public to participate in our project by capturing at least one photograph (ideally three) of easily accessible plants in our collections. Please remember to stay on the paths and do not trespass areas where that are fenced.
Did you know that when you’re visiting UBC Botanical Garden you can directly help us document plant phenology? It helps us understand the timing of life-cycle events in plants and animals, and can be used to study shifts in flowering time due to climate change. You can contribute to phenology studies at UBC Botanical Garden by utilizing iNaturalist’s platform.
What is Phenology?
Phenology is the study of the timing of the life-cycle events in plants and animals: flowering, leafing, hibernation, reproduction, and migration. Scientists who study phenology are interested in the timing of such events in relation to changes in season and climate.
Changes in weather with the seasons—like temperature and precipitation—cause many organisms to enter new phases of their lives. For example, buds form on plants as temperatures warm in the spring. As temperatures cool in the fall, deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves and become dormant. The study of the timing of these changes is called phenology.
Now that you know a little bit about what phenology here is how you can help:
We have created a project called Flowers of UBC Botanical Garden to understand patterns in the phenology of our plant collections. We encourage the public to participate in our project by capturing at least one photograph (ideally three) of easily accessible plants in our collections. Your contributions will assist us in tracking the phenology of our plant accessions.
These should include:
- A portrait of the tree or plant
- A close-up of the flower
- A picture of the identification tag (Accession Label).
How to use iNaturalist
Step-by-step guide on how to contribute to UBC Botanical Garden’s Plant Phenology:
- Open app
- Log in or Sign Up to iNaturalist
- Go to Flowers of UBC Botanical Garden
- Add observations
- Select an image from files or open the camera directly
- Select the images that describe the species observed (plant label), the entire plant if possible, and details of the flowers and buds if available
- What did you see? Fill out as many details as you can
- Add name to your observation
- Set the location to UBC Botanical Garden
- Most of our plants are cultivated, select ‘cultivated’
And you’re done! Thank you for contributing to UBC Botanical Garden.