• ProjectsUrban and Agriculture ProjectsNative Plants and Pollinators Ecotype ExperimentAdopt a Plant ProjectVolunteer Materials

    Species Guides with Planting Guidelines

    These documents contain species-level information about how your plant looks at different stages of its growth, as well as information about flowering times, soil and moisture preferences. The second page of each guide contains planting and watering guidelines.

    1. Blue Vervain
    2. Blue Wood Aster
    3. Boneset
    4. Cutleaf Coneflower
    5. Foxglove Beardtongue
    6. Golden Alexander
    7. Grey Goldenrod
    8. Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
    9. Showy Tick Trefoil
    10. Swamp Milkweed
    11. Wild Bergamot
    12. Wild Strawberry

    Pollinators Cheat Sheet

    Quick Guide to Pollinators (pdf)

    This is a key document for all volunteers. It contains examples of insects you might see on your plants as well as guidelines for how to identify bees vs wasps vs butterflies, etc.

    Data Monitoring using Survey123

    There are two surveys we require participants to fill out after planting their plants.

    The first is a one-time ‘Planting Conditions’ survey to let us know the date and location of planting, and other information about your planting location.

    We’ll send out weekly reminders to fill out the ‘Timed Count’ survey to let us know how the plants are doing, whether they are flowering and what pollinators you observe on the plant.

    See directions below on how to download the app, load the two surveys and submit, or the links to open the surveys in a browser on any device if you prefer to not download an app.

    1. App
    2. Browser

    Data Sheet

    Timed Count Data Sheet (PDF)

    You can use this document if you prefer to use a paper sheet while filling out your weekly Timed Count survey. However, you would still need to enter the information into Survey123 afterwards to send us the data.

    Participant ID

    Participant ID sheet

    Use this document to find your numerical participant ID for use in the surveys. Search by your first name and last two initials.

    May Office Hours

    Join Onome Ofoman every Wednesday at lunchtime in May, starting May 21st to ask questions about the project, the data collection app, the protocol or anything else. This is a relaxed and welcoming space to ensure that everyone has everything they need to successfully participate. Click the link here to JOIN us anytime between 12 – 12:40pm.

    FAQ

    1. When should I fill out the ‘Planting Conditions’ survey? The planting conditions survey is a one-time survey that should be filled out after planting. It lets us know what date and location you planted your plant, and provides us with information about your planting location including other flowering species you have nearby. Fill the survey in the Survey123 app, or directly in your browser using this link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/906fa7de0a054530887bec7bd6508bf5
    2. When should I fill out the ‘Timed Count’ survey? The times count survey is a weekly survey that you should start filling out around when your plant starts flowering. We’ll send you an email to remind you of when to start collecting data. If your plant is not flowering yet, the survey will not ask you to count pollinators. Fill the survey in the Survey123 app, or directly in your browser using this link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/c3545632f6fe4671ae346da911ff5401
    3. Can I fill the ‘Timed Count’ survey more frequently? When your plants are flowering, we encourage you to fill out the timed count survey as frequently as you can. If you’d like to do a daily count, we would be more than happy to receive the additional data points.
    4. I’m having trouble submitting my data in the app. What do I do? Some people have run into issues due to large photo sizes. Please resize your photos or upload fewer photos and retry your submission. Make sure to click on the check mark on the last page to ensure your data gets submitted. See steps and screenshots above.
    5. I don’t have access to a camera. What do I do? All questions asking for photos in the Survey123 app are optional, so you can submit a survey without uploading pictures if you prefer.
    6. How do I join the iNaturalist Adopt a Plant project? There is a question in the planting conditions survey asking for your iNaturalist username. If you have one, please provide it there and we will add you to the project. We aim to be done adding people to the iNaturalist project by May 23rd, 2025.
    7. How long should I watch my plants for while counting pollinators? Plants should be watched for 3 minutes. Please see the details of the counting procedure in the app, or in the data sheet here, which can be printed and used for recording observations.
    8. I’m away for a few weeks in the summer, what do I do? No worries if you cant complete your timed count survey weekly due to other commitments. We’re happy that you’re participating, so do what you can.
    9. I missed the pickup events, how do I get my plants? We hosted 7 events in April/May across Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts for volunteers to pickup their plants. Unfortunately, while we recognize that the chosen dates and location did not work for everyone, we do not plan to have further pickup events since our field season is in full swing. Instead, you can sign up for a timeslot here to pick up plants at our White River Junction office until the end of May.
    10. My plants were eaten/died, what do I do? If your plant hasn’t come up yet, give it some time. Some species take some time to come up, depending on how far north you are and will prioritize putting in roots before sprouting. If you are certain it’s dead and you want to replace it, please sign up for a timeslot here to pick up (while supplies last) from our office in White River Junction.
    11. Other questions? Join our weekly office hours in May to get your questions answered directly by Onome, or email .

    REFERENCE BOOKS

    • Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England (print: $25)

    OTHER RESOURCES