Hiram College

Citizen scientists in the northern hemisphere plant red emperor tulip bulbs to help monitor seasonal change in a scientific way. At planting and in the spring when plants emerge and bloom, data is reported to Journey North, the nation’s premiere citizen scientist program for children. Journey North Tulip

Journey North keeps garden observations in a permanent database. With long-term data, important scientific questions can be explored: How do the Earth’s different climate conditions affect plant growth? What patterns do the data reveal? Are variations normal? How does this spring compare with previous years?

A group of six to nine year old children from the Hiram area planted 80 red emperor tulip bulbs in beds at the James H. Barrow Biological Field Station on November 15, 2014. They reported planting date, emerge date and bloom date to Journey North in spring 2015. The children will continue to monitor emerge and bloom dates in the future.