Thursday, April 19, 2012

get your hands dirty


Be an urban ecologist! Discover the world around you! You'd be surprised at what kind of data groups are trying to gather:

Frog Watch Ontario: amphibian monitoring program - learn the frog and toad calls online, pick your site, monitoring it once or twice a week from March to July and report your findings!

Ontario Turtle Tally (since 2003): when you spot a turtle register it online (location, type, number, habitat, etc.). You can even submit a photo and the GPS coordinates. Best time for turtle sightings is in June when they are migrating to nesting sites.

Worm Watch: this monitoring program is helping scientists determine the number and variety of earthworm species and the health of habitats. I.D. info is available online - be the first to report for Ottawa!

The Lost Ladybug Project: you can make a day out of this one - using a sweep nest and visiting various sites. Size and description of ladybugs (including photos) are needed and even "nul data" info is important to report.

Monarch Larva Monitoring Project: data collected will help with the understanding of butterfly ecology and effects on populations. Information on eggs and larva are collected either as anecdotal data or by committing to monitor a patch of milkweed for the entire butterfly season (from late spring to fall).

Images from: 1| 2| 3| 4

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