Renee and Alex Amado had an OTC at their house over the summer and used it to compare phenological events of lilies in a warming chamber versus a control plot. They collected daily observations, took daily temperature readings and photographed the lilies in both plots. The dates of flower set and first blooming were earlier in the OTC than in […]

We had a great time at West Coast APPLES! Here are some highlights from the week.

            Blue Hill Consolidated School (BHCS) students have used used OTCs to determine the effect of slight temperature increases on goldenrod, common tansy and other wild plants, and are now using OTCs in studies in the flower garden. A recent study with iris plants demonstrated that OTCs do indeed speed up life cycle events of plants; […]

Student graphs of Dr. Post’s long term data from Greenland are shown here. Eighth graders created the graphs on their iPads, using the data shared on the APPLES website. Dates of emergence are shown for tundra plants from one of three study sites: Doc, Bashful or Dopey. Dates are based on the Julian calendar; for example, day 155 on the Julian calendar […]

Today 8th graders from Blue Hill Consolidated School examined long term data from Dr. Post’s study sites near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. The data set consists of annual observed first dates of emergence and leaf opening by various plant species. This is part of an ongoing effort to monitor the timing of plant emergence and species-level variation in emergence timing in relation […]

We are continuing today with our investigation of angiosperms. 7th graders modeled them and 8th graders drew them. Next week we’ll compare phenophases of angiosperms inside and outside warming chambers!

Spring has sprung in Maine! Eighth graders from Blue Hill Consolidated School are examining and drawing apple blossoms today to gain a deeper understanding of the life cycle of angiosperms.

These are current temperature graphs, in Celsius, of 3 OTCs being used by students from Takotna Community School in Alaska. The students were surprised at the fluctuation in temperatures they saw during the first few weeks of the study and now expect downward spiraling lines due to snow. The last photo is of the community during the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in March. One […]

Ms. Muscaro’s students collected anecdotal evidence from April – June using the OTC and a control plot. There was a faster rate of initial growth in the OTC plot versus the control. Students harvested strawberries about a week earlier in the OTC plot than in the control plot. The same cultivar of rhizomes were planted on the same day/time, watered for the same amount of time, […]