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Citizen science programs like Project Budburst are great ways to get youth closer to nature, while simultaneously providing valuable scientific data to researchers about the impacts of climate change on plants and the environment.

Through engaging in one of these programs, youth will learn important concepts such as:

• Dichotomous key: Youth will learn how to use the dichotomous key to identify some of their local plant species that they will monitor for changes.

• Plant observation and data collection: They will return to the same plant a number of times to mark the dates and weather conditions on which the plant shows developments of the first leaf, first bud, first flower, full bloom, and die-off.

• Plant phenology (changes in life cycle events over time): Youth will learn how the climate affects plant life cycle events, and in turn how changes in plant life cycle events can affect natural ecosystems and human life activities.