The document provides an overview of the Tree Spotters Citizen Science Program at Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum. It summarizes the program's history starting in 2015, volunteers trained (179 total, 57 still active), observations collected (47,798 total), and phenophases observed for 55 tree species. Graphs show observations by tree species and comparisons between 2015-2016. Photos from field work and a song about tree spotting are also included.

1. Temporal Ecology Lab, Harvard University
Suzanne Mrozak, Volunteer Coordinator
Danny Schissler, Intern
Cat Chamberlain, Graduate Student

2. OVERVIEW
• The Tree Spotter Story
• Our Volunteers
• The Numbers
• Graphs and Figures
• Photos
• Tree Spotter Song
• THANK YOU!

3. O U R S T O R Y
• The Tree Spotters Citizen Science
Program started just over a year ago
through Lizzie Wolkovich’s Temporal
Ecology Lab.
• The first meeting for the project was
held March 25, 2015.
• The aim of the project is to work with
local citizen scientists and collect
phenological observations for 55
individual trees throughout the
arboretum.
• Volunteers record observations for
11 different phenophases in Nature’s
Notebook, an online portal system
through the USA National Phenology
Network (NPN).

4. Leaves:
Breaking Leaf Buds
Leaves
Increasing Leaf Size
Colored Leaves
Falling Leaves
Flowers:
Flowers or Flower Buds
Open Flowers
Fruits:
Fruits
Ripe Fruits
PHENOPHASES OBSERVED

5. O U R V O L U N T E E R S

6. T H E
N U M B E R S
• The first training session was held May
17, 2015.
• So far, there have been 179 individuals in
the local community trained to Tree Spot.
• Of those 179 trained, 57 observers are
still active today, which gives us a
retention rate of 31.8%!
• The NPN recommends striving for a
retention rate of 20%.
• 125 Tree Spotter volunteers have
registered accounts on the Nature’s
Notebook website, giving us a success
rate of 45.6% of users who have
completely signed up and been trained.
• We are SO pleased with our volunteers!!
Thank you!

7. T O T A L O B S E R V A T I O N S A N D
O B S E R V E R S P E R T R E E T H I S Y E A R
Common Name
The oaks have the fewest number of
observations and observers

8. O B S E R V A T I O N SAC Q U I S I T I O N N U M B E R N U M B E R O F O B S E R V AT I O N S N U M B E R O F O B S E R V E R S R O U T E AN D T R E E N U M B E R
1 4 5 8 5 * B A ME R I C A N B E E C H 5 3 8 1 2 B E E C H - 1
1 4 5 8 5 * D A ME R I C A N B E E C H 7 9 7 1 7 B E E C H - 2
1 4 5 8 5 * C A ME R I C A N B E E C H 5 5 1 1 3 B E E C H - 3
1 4 5 8 5 * G A ME R I C A N B E E C H 5 1 4 1 1 B E E C H - 4
1 4 5 8 5 * J A ME R I C A N B E E C H 6 3 9 1 1 B E E C H - 5
1 1 9 9 * J R I V E R B I R C H 6 0 8 1 2 B I R C H - 1
1 2 5 1 - 7 9 * B R I V E R B I R C H 1 1 7 6 1 8 B I R C H - 2
1 2 5 1 - 7 9 * A R I V E R B I R C H 1 0 5 0 1 9 B I R C H - 3
1 2 5 1 - 7 9 * E R I V E R B I R C H 8 8 5 1 8 B I R C H - 4
1 1 9 9 * D R I V E R B I R C H 8 4 0 1 7 B I R C H - 5
1 2 8 4 3 * A Y E L L O W B I R C H 8 2 4 1 8 B I R C H - 6
1 2 8 4 3 * D Y E L L OW B I R C H 6 8 7 1 6 B I R C H - 7
1 2 8 4 3 * H Y E L L OW B I R C H 7 6 9 1 5 B I R C H - 8
1 2 8 4 3 * E Y E L L O W B I R C H 8 9 4 1 6 B I R C H - 9
6 2 9 - 8 3 * D Y E L L O W B I R C H 8 8 3 1 6 B I R C H - 1 0
1 2 9 0 7 * I S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y 3 2 0 8 H I C K O R Y - 1
1 2 9 0 7 * G S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y 5 0 4 1 2 H I C K O R Y - 2
1 2 9 0 7 * B S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y 3 0 2 8 H I C K O R Y - 3
1 2 9 0 7 * D S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y 3 3 0 9 H I C K O R Y - 4
1 2 9 0 7 * N S H A G B A R K H I C K O R Y 3 4 1 1 2 H I C K O R Y - 5
2 0 0 9 5 * A P I G N U T H I C K O R Y 3 0 8 9 H I C K O R Y - 6
6 9 9 0 * A P I G N U T H I C K O R Y 2 6 9 7 H I C K O R Y - 7
2 0 0 9 8 * A P I G N U T H I C K O R Y 2 4 0 7 H I C K O R Y - 8
2 0 1 9 * S P I G N U T H I C K O R Y 2 5 1 7 H I C K O R Y - 9
2 0 1 9 * R P I G N U T H I C K O R Y 4 7 1 1 0 H I C K O R Y - 1 0
BREAKDOWN OF OBSERVATIONS IN 2016

9. BREAKDOWN OF OBSERVATIONS (CONT.)
1 7 5 2 7 * D A ME R I C A N B A S S W OO D 8 0 9 1 9 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 1
1 9 8 0 4 * A A ME R I C A N B A S SW O OD 7 3 1 1 8 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 2
7 1 4 1 * A A ME R I C A N B A S S W OO D 7 2 0 1 6 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 3
9 2 5 - 7 9 * B Y E L L O W B U C K E Y E 1 1 4 7 2 2 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 4
1 2 6 5 1 * H Y E L L OW B U C K E Y E 7 3 4 1 3 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 5
1 2 6 5 1 * D Y E L L OW B U C K E Y E 6 9 4 1 1 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 6
1 2 6 5 1 * C Y E L L OW B U C K E Y E 5 2 7 1 0 L I N D E N / N O R T H W O O D S - 7
1 8 7 - 2 0 0 6 * B S U G A R MA P L E 1 4 6 0 1 9 M A P L E - 1
2 2 8 3 4 * B S U G A R MA P L E 1 5 6 0 2 1 M A P L E - 2
2 0 6 4 5 * A S U G A R MA P L E 9 4 4 1 7 M A P L E - 3
1 2 5 6 5 * C S U G A R MA P L E 1 1 0 5 2 0 M A P L E - 4
8 1 9 7 * A N O R T H E R N R E D O A K 8 0 4 O A K - 1
5 8 5 9 * A N O R T H E R N R E D O A K 7 1 3 O A K - 2
5 8 5 9 * B N O R T H E R N R E D O A K 7 5 3 O A K - 3
1 6 8 8 2 * B N O R T H E R N R E D O A K 6 9 3 O A K - 4
2 2 8 8 6 * D W H I T E O A K 6 8 4 O A K - 5
2 2 7 - 2 0 1 1 * A W H I T E O A K 8 9 4 O A K - 6
3 5 8 - 8 2 * A W H I T E O A K 8 0 4 O A K - 7
2 1 8 1 5 * E W H I TE O A K 1 0 6 6 O A K - 8
1 1 2 5 3 * A N O R T H E R N R E D O A K 8 9 4 O A K - 9
1 3 2 3 - 8 2 * A A ME R I C A N B A S S W O OD 1 1 2 4 1 9 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 1
1 6 6 1 1 * F E A S T E R N C O T T O NW OO D 7 7 6 1 3 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 2
1 6 6 1 1 * J E A S T E R N C O T T O NW O OD 7 7 9 1 5 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 3
1 6 6 1 1 * K E A S T E R N C O T T O NW OO D 7 7 8 1 3 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 4
1 6 6 1 1 * O E A S T E R N C O T T O NW O OD 9 0 6 1 7 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 5
2 2 0 9 9 * A E A S T E R N C O T T O NW OO D 1 0 8 8 2 1 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 6
6 8 9 - 2 0 1 0 * A S U G A R MA P L E 8 7 7 1 6 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 7
6 1 1 - 2 0 1 0 * A W H I T E O A K 8 6 0 1 6 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 8
1 2 6 5 1 * I Y E L L OW B U C K E Y E 7 8 5 1 7 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 9
1 7 5 3 8 * A A ME R I C A N B A S SW O OD 1 0 8 7 1 5 P E T E R ' S H I L L - 1 0
AC Q U I S I T I O N N U M B E R N U M B E R O F O B S E R V AT I O N S N U M B E R O F O B S E R V E R S R O U T E AN D T R E E N U M B E R

10. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Aesculus flava (Yellow Buckeye)

11. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple)

12. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Betula alleghaniensis (Yellow Birch)

13. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Betula nigra (River Birch)

14. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Cayra glabra (Pignut Hickory)

15. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Cayra ovata (Shagbark Hickory)

16. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Fagus grandifolia (American Beech)

17. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Populus deltoides (Eastern Cottonwood)

18. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Quercus alba (White Oak)

19. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Quercus rubra (Red Oak)

20. Comparing Observations 2015 to 2016:
Tilia americana (American Basswood)

21. As of Monday, July 12, 2016
Tree Spotters have recorded…
47,798
observations in Nature’s Notebook!

22. Common Name
BREAKING LEAF BUDS:
Date the first “Yes” was recorded for each individual tree

23. The Eastern Cottonwood
exhibited the greatest
intraspecific variation* Common Name
BREAKING LEAF BUDS:
Date the first “Yes” was recorded for each individual tree
*Intraspecific Variation: variation occurring within species, i.e. between individuals of the same species

24. Common Name
FLOWERS OR FLOWER BUDS:
Date the first “Yes” was recorded for each individual tree
Common Name

25. Common Name
FRUITS:
Date the first “Yes” was recorded for each individual tree

26. Photographs from our
flickr site
https://www.flickr.com/groups/arnold_arboretum_tree_spotters/
American Beech
Shagbark Hickory

27. Yellow Buckeye
River Birch

28. American Basswood
Yellow Birch

29. S P O T T I N G T O G E T H E R :
W R I T T E N A N D P E R F O R M E D B Y B R I A N A N D K A T I E
C A R T W R I G H T Spotting Together (to the tune of “So Happy Together” by the Turtles, 1967)
Me and you, and you and me.
We’re walking and we see a tree, a big beech tree.
We see a sign and wonder, “Oh, what could that be?”
We’re Spotting Together!
We’ll go up Peters Hill, we will.
We’ll stroll under the big blue sky, like Jack and Jill.
It’s all about phenology; we’ll get our fill.
We’re Spotting Together.
Arnold Arboretum, Tree Spotting we go
All ‘round the grounds.
We see more each time that we get up and go
All ‘round the grounds.
Hickory nuts you’ll find beneath your feet.
They’re good to eat, the meat is sweet – a tasty treat.
A simple pleasure. Oh what fun. They can’t be beat.
We’re Spotting Together!
We’ll see the sugar maple trees and the red oaks
As we’re observing with the fine Tree Spotter folks.
We’ll talk about our trees and maybe crack some jokes
We’re Spotting Together.
Arnold Arboretum, Tree Spotting we go
All ‘round the grounds.
We see more each time that we get up and go
All ‘round the grounds.
We’ll see the linden trees (don’t sneeze).
They say they’re very popular with all the bees.
The buckeyes are a lucky charm, the birches please.
We’re Spotting Together.
We’re Spotting Together.
Enjoying the weather.
Tree Spotting Together. (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)
Yes Spotting Together. (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)
Spotting Together. (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)
We’re Spotting Together. (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)
Yes Spotting Together. (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)
Tree Spotting Spotting Together. (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)

30. Thank you, Volunteers, for being so dedicated.
There is no way we could do this without you.