**Spring beauty and the bees is not operating after 2014. Please check back in the future and contact us for more information**
Help us monitor pollinator populations by observing pollinators in your area!
Claytonia virginica
Spring Beauty and the Bees is a project that aims to document changing pollinator populations through the efforts of volunteer citizen scientists. By monitoring the insects that visit Claytonia virginica and/or Claytonia caroliniana (also known as Spring Beauty) throughout the east coast, we can determine how pollinator communities change depending on the year, the location, and the season. This information will help us better understand the biology of native pollinators, as well as help us determine the best way to evaluate their value for native plant reproduction. At the same time, you can learn more about the native bees and flies visiting our early spring flora, and spend some time outdoors during the early spring!
To help, you need only to be able to find a patch of either of our study plants, Claytonia virginica and Claytonia caroliniana, which are easily found throughout the Eastern US and southeastern Ontario. We’ll help you learn to distinguish the plants and pollinators, and assist you with questions along the way. We ask for about 2 hours of observations over the course of three weeks, all during sunny weather. As you observe, you’ll fill out data sheets (which we will provide), which you will then mail or email to us along with any comments or concerns.
To help, please fill out the form below or email spring.beauty.pollinators@gmail.com with your name and location. We’ll keep in touch with instructions and help along the way.
Spring Beauty and the Bees 