Archives

• Dragonfly Education and Research at the Arboretum June 1, 2022

  Dragonfly citizen science began at the Arboretum in 2018 with the Dragonfly Monitoring Project. Volunteers monitor nine sites across the grounds and have submitted over… Read more

• Monarch Winter 2021–22 Population Numbers Released June 1, 2022

  On May 24, 2022, the World Wildlife Fund-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance (WWF) and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in Mexico (CONANP), released data… Read more

• Citizen Science Spotlight: Wingra Springs Monitoring and Common Loon Migration March 31, 2022

  Spring beckons us to get outside. It’s an eventful time of year to observe nature with the reappearance of many plants and animals. And it’s… Read more

• Journey North Publishes Monarch Butterfly and Hummingbird Data Packages March 2, 2022

  For over twenty-five years, Journey North has tracked arrivals and departures of migratory species. And now, this volunteer-generated data is more accessible to researchers than… Read more

• Celebrate Citizen Science Month: Explore, Learn, Get Involved April 13, 2021

  This April, volunteers will look to the skies to report arrivals of migrating birds and insects, such as monarch butterflies. Some will search wooded areas… Read more

• Three ways to help save monarch butterflies and other pollinators September 21, 2020

  “Every fall, declining day length triggers one of the most incredible phenomena found in nature: the annual fall migration of monarch butterflies. Across North America,… Read more

• Get Involved in Citizen Science at Home April 15, 2020

  Spring’s renewal is all around us as longer days, warming temperatures, and the reappearance of many plants and animals help lift our collective spirits. The… Read more

• Volunteers Turn Dreams into Reality February 27, 2020

  Emily Dickinson wrote “To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, / One clover, and a bee. / And revery. / The… Read more

• Ecological Monitoring: Process and Purpose May 30, 2019

  Ecosystems are dynamic, with vegetation and animals changing seasonally and over long time periods. Ecological monitoring is an important scientific practice of taking systematic, repeated… Read more

• Citizen Science Monitoring Program, Journey North, Finds a Home at the Arboretum February 5, 2019

  Spring might officially be more than a month away, but for some animals making a trek back north after wintering in the south, the spring… Read more

• Director's Note February 2019 February 5, 2019

  Arboretum Citizen Science: Commitment and Growth When she was three, my daughter asked, “What does science mean?” I probably answered with something like: “it’s how… Read more

• New Citizen Science Staff February 5, 2019

  The Arboretum has added two staff members to the research program in the last six months. Jessica Ross started as the citizen science coordinator in… Read more

• Tracking Dragonflies, Citizen Scientists Gain Insight to Arboretum’s Wetlands October 11, 2018

  This past summer, volunteers congregated at the Arboretum to begin the Arboretum’s first-ever effort to systematically track dragonfly populations. Read the full UW News… Read more

• Citizen Scientists Help Monitor Dragonflies at the Arboretum September 30, 2018

  How many species of dragonflies call the Arboretum home, and where do they live? What are the most common species? More than twenty budding citizen… Read more

• Citizen Scientists Help Answer Ecological Questions September 27, 2018

  It’s more important than ever to engage community members in addressing ecological questions. Wisconsin Life visited the Arboretum to find out about civic science projects… Read more

• The Arboretum Issue of the Isthmus April 19, 2018

  This week’s Isthmus issue is about the Arboretum. The Isthmus staff delved into many aspects of the Arb to bring you stories about research, citizen science,… Read more

• UW Arboretum Workshop Tracks Endangered Bees with Photos July 21, 2017

  “With a trained eye and quick finger stabbing the air, University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum native plant gardener Susan Carpenter counts off the bumble bees… Read more

• Endangered Bumble Bee Gets Help from Citizen Scientists March 23, 2017

  The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) was officially listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act on Tuesday, March 21. Citizen science projects contributed high… Read more

• Citizen observations help inform Arboretum’s annual account of spring March 7, 2017

  “Lately, Madison residents are taking advantage of record-setting high temperatures to bike, run, and lounge outside, well before the anticipated end of the long Wisconsin winter. Read more