Nature Detectives is an online
phenology
Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation).
Examples include the date of emergence of leav ...
research and education project for 4–18-year-olds in the
UK. It is run by the
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972.
The Woodland Tr ...
, as part of the UK Phenology Network.
Participants record the dates they see seasonal events, such as leafing, flowering, bird migration, nesting or fruit ripening in their own recording form on the website. The data they collect is fed into the UKPN national database, which has over 11,000 contributors and now contains over one million records.
The project monitors the activity of birds, insects, amphibians, grasses, fungi, flowers and trees, all of which are being affected by
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. There is also information on phenology, climate change and "doing your bit for the environment".
Schools, youth groups, families and individuals all take part, and it is proving a great way to involve children in the natural world and teach them about plants and wildlife and environmental issues.
External links
Nature DetectivesUK Phenology NetworkThe Woodland Trust
Climate change programs
Conservation in the United Kingdom
Chronobiology
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