Fairbanks Wildflower Table Exhibit: Posters

  By Richard B. Primack 

 

“I would thus from time to time take advice of the birds.”  Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

At the Fairbanks Museum exhibit, six posters present information about the Wildflower Table and our analysis of the Wildflower Table data.

 

Photo 1: Since 1903, volunteers have been collecting the first plants in flower in the St. Johnsbury area and exhibiting them at the Museum’s Wildflower Table.

 

Photo 2: Weather observations collected at the Museum have documented a rising temperature over the past 122 years. 

 

Photo 3: Using records from the Wildflower Table logbooks, we determined that plants are flowering earlier now than they did in the past. 

 

Photo 4: Plants are responding to a warming climate, flowering earlier in years with a warmer spring. 

 

Photo 5: Comparing records of first arrival times of migratory birds with those of flowering times demonstrates that plants are more responsive to climate change than are migratory birds. This might result in an ecological mismatch in coming decades.

 

Photo 6: The herbarium specimens held by the Museum can be used to identify plants, and represent another potential source of data to be used in this study. 

 

Here is a video about the opening symposium for the exhibit: LINK

 

Fairbanks Exhibit: Opening Night

 By Richard B. Primack 

 

“You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns.”  Henry David Thoreau in Walden

 

Since 1903, volunteers at the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, Vermont have been displaying the first blooms of the local flora on a “Wildflower Table” and recording their observations in logbooks. Volunteers have also been recording the first spring arrival dates of migratory birds. Amanda Gallinat, from Colby College, and I worked with the Museum staff to analyze how these plants and birds are affected by changes in temperature. The Museum recently mounted an exhibit to highlight our findings in a series of posters.  

 

Photo 1: Amanda Gallinat and I meeting with staff behind the Wildflower Table. Note the posters behind us.

 

Amanda Gallinat, several of her students, and I presented our results in a lecture, and met with the public afterwards during a reception.

 

Photo 2: I am presenting an overview of the project to the Museum audience.

 

Our analysis reveals a clear trend in spring-blooming wildflowers: plants are flowering earlier over time, and warmer springs lead to earlier blooming. In contrast, migratory birds are not consistently shifting their migration timing. This means some migratory birds may be out of sync with their food sources.

 

We are grateful for the many decades of committed volunteers and Museum staff who have maintained these records of first blooms and bird migration.

 

Here is a link to the exhibit: LINK