The Somerville Growing Center is a city garden in a very developed urban area. With this project, we are recording its life, cycles, and wild visitors over time... We particularly focus on its entomofauna (insect life), so that we can compare species occurrences and population trends between this site and our other EwA study sites in the region —at the Fells, at the Habitat and at Fresh Pond.
Should we care? Yes, because we don't know much and do not have enough data about insect populations at large. And if we don't have data, then don't know their state & health. Consequently, we cannot protect them in a time where they are declining drastically in most if not all regions of the globe. At this Growing Center, there is an effort to go 'native' — favoring plants that have an evolutionary history in sync with our native insects. It will then be interesting to obtain data and compare the types of insects hosted by these native plants, compared to those insects in locations where alien invasive plant species are predominant.
You'll have a chance to participate at every single level of our study, from defining what we study, to the design of protocols, the collection of information, and the reporting of this information. We will also develop together a virtual guide to the insects and wildlife of site that we are surveying and monitoring.
We invite you, visiting friends and neighbors to join this critical effort. Together, let's follow study, protect and enjoy our diverse urban wildlife! Contact us to meet us in the field, help us record, and to learn also about the other type of observations that we are recording so that we can capture important arthropod data.
✉ citizenscience@earthwiseaware.org
ⓘ More about us (Earthwise Aware) » https://www.earthwiseaware.org
ⓘ More about EwA Biodiversity citizen science projects » https://tinyurl.com/ewa-citizen-science
