@ Onome Ofoman Desiree Narango and Amber Jones explain the Adopt-a-Plant project to volunteers

Become a Community Scientist in Your Own Garden

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Months Needed April - October Time Commitment 15 minutes per week Effort Required Low Skill Level Beginner Travel Required One <1.5-hour trip for plant pickup

We want to send our thanks for the enthusiasm and efforts of our community scientists—new and experienced—in 2025!

We recruited 700 community scientists, 85% of them new to VCE. In the spring, we held seven Adopt-a-Plant pickup events in six towns stretching across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, distributing over 1,500 plants, plus materials on essential plant care and insect identification.

FAQ

  1. What is the goal of the Adopt a Plant project? Our experimental gardens are located in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. We want to gather more conclusive evidence on the relationship between plant ecotype and pollinator support across larger spatial scales and environmental conditions.
  2. What locations are eligible to participate? Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts.
  3. What are the important dates? Participants will be contacted in March/April 2025 to pick up their plants, and will be expected to collect data weekly from May – October 2025.
  4. Where are the pickup locations? White River Junction, VT; Manchester, NH; Burlington, VT; Springfield, MA; Rutland, VT; Montpelier, VT
  5. How do I get involved? Sign up for 2025 are closed. Sign up for the Adopt a Plant newsletter (above) to get updates.
  6. Does my soil type or sun exposure matter? Yes and no. We will ask about your soil type before the experiment starts, but we will not exclude participants based on their soil type or sun exposure.
  7. What is provided and what are participants expected to provide? Plants (both local and non local ecotypes), tags, pollinator ID training, plant care guidelines and a data entry app will be provided to all participants. Participants should have access to a device with internet access that can download an app or access a web browser. Participants should also have space in their garden or somewhere outdoors to place the plant (e.g. container on a balcony or lawn space).
  8. Can I email you my observations? Due to the high number of volunteers we have, we cannot reliably accept data submissions via email. Please use the Survey123 app or the web browser link. Haven’t yet set up the Survey 123 app? We’ve got help for you here.
  9. What happens if the plant does not survive? That is not a problem! We expect that some plants might not make it due to several factors throughout the course of the experiment.
  10. I am a teacher, how can I include my class in this experiment? Reach out to the program coordinators at adopt-a-plant@vtecostudies.org to discuss options. Also, you can learn more about and sign up for the VCE community science teacher workshop HERE.
  11. What happens to the plants after the experiment? Participants are welcome to keep the plants as a token of appreciation.
  12. I’ve signed up on the form but I haven’t been contacted yet? Please send an email to adopt-a-plant@vtecostudies.org. We have contacted all confirmed participants with pick-up location options so if you have not heard from us, it is likely that we have an incorrect email address. Thank you for your interest!
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