Once a week, observe each plant in bloom for 3 minutes. This includes all plants in the Phenology Garden collection, not just the new native perennials.
The day should be sunny with little wind, and at least 50°F.
- Only collect data on pollinators that land on flowers. The bee or other visitor must stop on the flower to be counted.
- As much as possible, do not count visitors that leave a flower and quickly return as separate visits. Use your best judgment on this.
- Be careful not to disturb insects visiting flowers before you get a chance to observe them. A chair and binoculars might be handy.
- Avoid sudden movements and do not stand too close to the flower you are observing.
- Insects respond to shadows passing overhead by moving away; walk so that your shadow trails you, rather than advances in front of you.
- No pollinators is just as important as pollinator visits: be sure to record “0” if no pollinators visited the plant.
When it’s convenient, visit the data collection page (https://u.osu.edu/phenology/data-collection/) and enter the total number of pollinators in each category for each observed plant.