Creating a Phenological Calendar of Flowering Plants in Old Fields

Lindsay Charlop, Jamie Deppen, Keri VanCamp

Luke Arsenault, Kristiana Bowman, Alex Sams

Pollinators are responsible for roughly ⅓ of the foods on our dinner tables, and are currently experiencing severe global decline. The Environmental Monitoring and Management Alliance (EMMA), Community Greenways Collaborative (CGC), and the VFEP are interested in protecting pollinators by ensuring that they have access to supportive habitat.  We have been working to develop protocols to study flowering plant and pollinator diversity at the VFEP.   We are partnering with EMMA  to create a calendar of when plants are flowering in the old fields throughout the summer and fall.  This calendar will increase our understanding of the nectar sources and host plants that are available for pollinators over the course of the season. The calendar will also be used to inform field management practices, such as restoration and seasonal mowing, that will support successful pollinators.