Field season is in full swing at our sites in Virginia and Tennessee. In addition to our ongoing data collection on cattle weight gain, vegetation surveys, and pollinator preference counts, this year we will also begin receiving data on pollinator abundance from a team of citizen scientist volunteers.
Based out of northern Virginia and coordinated by our team members at Virginia Working Landscapes, the citizen scientists will be making visits to farms that have had pastures planted with our wildflower seed mix. While there, they will walk transects in areas with and without wildflowers added and record the number and type of pollinators seen in them. This data collection will help demonstrate if the increased habitat for pollinators represented by the wildflower enhanced areas makes a significant impact on local pollinator abundance.
In late June, Virginia Tech pollinator specialist Dr. Parry Kietzman visited Kinloch Farm in The Plains, Virginia to provide a day of hands-on training for the citizen scientists. The training included learning how to identify different pollinating insects, walking a transect, and recording data. We are grateful for the efforts of our volunteers and are looking forward to hearing how their data collection goes!
Check out some photos of the training session below.
The group spent a lot of time learning how to identify different types of pollinating insects. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
This metallic green sweat bee would be classified as a “small native bee” if seen during a transect walk. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Sometimes carpenter bees such as the one pictured can be mistaken for bumble bees. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Kinloch Farm provided a beautiful setting for the training. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Marking a transect. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Dr. Kietzman demonstrated how to look for and identify pollinators while walking a transect. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Volunteers practiced walking a transect and identifying pollinators. Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Accurate data recording is essential! Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.
Thanks to all participants for a productive and informative day! Photo by Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm.