Budburst
Making plant conservation research accessible to everyone
Budburst is a national community science program by the Chicago Botanic Garden that aims to bring researchers, conservationists, and community scientists together to better understand how plants and animals are affected by human impacts on the environment. Through the Budburst app, the program makes it easy for anyone to contribute to research efforts around the country by simply collecting and sharing their data. Budburst’s research projects include: the effects of climate change on plants and pollinators, the relationship between milkweeds and monarchs, and which plant species are thriving and declining in the Chicagoland area.
Support from Walder Foundation has allowed the program to expand to Latinx communities in the Chicago region, including Waukegan and on the West side of Chicago. To increase accessibility to these communities, the Budburst mobile app and website have been made available in Spanish, so that students and people can participate in community science, collect and analyze data, and learn about the plants and animals in their neighborhoods.
By partnering with community organizations, nature centers, and libraries, Budburst has also installed milkweed gardens and distributed over 200 take-home garden kits in majority Latinx and Black communities that have been historically excluded, underrepresented, and marginalized in conservation work.
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