VCE’s experimental gardens don’t look like normal, lush, cultivated gardens. Each native plant is placed in its own square block on a grid and frequently weeded so that researchers can collect data on phenology (blooming period) and plant visitation by pollinators. The study is “blind”, meaning the plants are only labeled with codes instead of region, so principle investigator Desiree Narango doesn’t know the ecotype (region) of each native plant and isn’t influenced when collecting data.
Visit one of our experimental gardens in the spring or summer, and see if you can guess which flowers are from the same or different regions. Observe what insects are visiting which flowers, and compare that to your own garden!
- Sunrise Organic Farm, Hartford
- Hartland Public Library, Hartland
- Dartmouth Organic Farm, Lyme
- Cedar Circle Farm, East Thetford
- Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), Quechee
- Billings Farm and Museum, Woodstock
