UWBG professor, Soo-Hyung Kim, just published a paper in PLoS ONE that describes his study of the impact future climate change may have on the bloom dates of flowering cherries. The authors,  including Uran Chung, Liz Mack, Jin I. Yun, studied the cherry trees in Tidal Basin, Washington DC and the timing of the annual cherry festival. The cherry tree cultivars studied, Yoshino and Kwanzan, are the same cultivars growing on the UW campus campus (Quad: Yoshino, Rainer vista: Kwanzan). 

Twenty-five volunteers, agency partners and Rare Care staff gathered in Klickitat County in mid-June to monitor rare plants.

You may recall that last spring’s BioBlitz in the Washington Park Arboretum resulted in some interesting finds, thanks to the efforts of more than 100 citizen scientists, university students and professionals. One of those discoveries may be a new Philodromus crab spider.

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With more than 100 citizen scientists, university students and professionals scrutinizing Washington Park Arboretum’s nooks and crannies during Seattle’s first BioBlitz, there were bound to be a few surprises. A potentially rare native stinging ant, a potentially rare Amanita (mushroom) not often seen on the west coast, a potentially new species of spider and a couple of unexpected plants displaying suspicious behavior are just a few of the discoveries. 

The UW Botanic Gardens Climate Change Garden is doing more than monitoring the effects of a changing climate on plant growth and survival. (What’s the Climate Change Garden?) It’s part of a nationwide climate change education initiative entitled Floral Report Card.
Sponsored by Chicago Botanic Garden, Floral Report Card aims to integrate existing phenology citizen science programs into elementary, middle and high school classrooms through garden replication on school grounds. 

UW Botanic Gardens is partnering with botanic gardens across the country in the installation of a network of Climate Change Gardens that will create a nationwide “ecological antenna” to monitor the effects of a changing climate on plant growth and survival. Each Climate Change Garden features genetically identical plant species selected for their biological responsiveness to temperature. Garden monitors will record climate data and a set of standard phenological events, from first leaf to flower to fruit set.