Citizen Science

I have been keeping a daily weather diary since 2004, recording general conditions, rainfall amounts, and high/low temperatures.

I have been tracking ruby-throated hummingbird arrivals and departures since 2008.

YearFirst SightingLast Sighting
2008May 12September 15
2009May 7September 13
2010May 17September 16
2011May 17September 8
2012May 8September 8
2013May 16September 26
2014May 14September 22
2015May 10September 12
2016May 15September 18
2017May 9September 5
2018May 15September 8
2019May 12September 19
2020May 17September 10
2021May 13September 12
2022May 11September 10
2023May 12September 9
2024May 12September 12
2025May 8

I have been keeping Climate Diary #114 for the University of Prince Edward Island’s Climate Research Lab since 2015.

I have been checking trap #303 for spruce budworm moths during the summer months for the Budworm Tracker program since 2016. A Canada Post mix up resulted in me not participating in 2022, but I resumed again in 2023.

I joined Bumble Bee Watch in the summer of 2019. Thus far I have had confirmed sightings of the following bumble bees: ternairus/tri-coloured, vagans/half-black, impatiens/common eastern, and perplexus/confusing.

I planted swamp milkweed next to our house for the first time in 2017 using seeds from Hope Seeds. In 2018 I was able to save my own seed. In 2019 we had our first monarch butterfly caterpillars (about 12), saw one pupa, and one butterfly. As of August, 2024, we have not seen another monarch. Our plant density probably needs to be increased to accommodate the hungry caterpillars as they stripped one small plot and probably didn’t make it to the pupa stage due to lack of food. I would eventually like to be able to register with Monarch Watch.

I started reporting precipitation to the CoCoRaHS Canada Network on November 5, 2019. I monitor station CAN-PE-54.

We have an AcuRite 5-in-1 weather station in our yard collecting temperature, humidity, rainfall, and windspeed/direction data. As we are surrounded by trees and the station is not mounted high enough, the wind data is not particularly accurate. That data is pushed to Weather Underground (which is owned by The Weather Company/IBM) as Cedar Lodge, Weather Station ID IFOXLEYR2.

I started uploading sightings to the iNaturalist website in May 2022. In August 2022, I went on a mushroom walk led by Rosemary Curley, and have been participating in the Mushrooms of PEI project since then, also through iNaturalist.

Page updated May 12, 2025