Leafy obsession

Season Watch, a citizen science project’s upcoming virtual session, will showcase the life cycle of tropical trees and help participants track seasonal changes

One window can offer a lot, especially if there’s a tree in sight. And if you have keen observational skills when it comes to nature, then sit down with Dr Geetha Ramaswami, programme manager at Season Watch, for a virtual session today that will talk about the importance of studying the life cycles of trees, and if climate change affects its seasonality. Or, if you want to use correct terminology, it’s ‘the phenology of trees’.

Alstonia scholaris

Dr Ramaswami explains that observations about trees by citizens, when entered as data points into Season Watch’s app or website, will help scientists understand trees’ phenology. This is called citizen science. She advises, “Step out with curiosity, the rest will follow.” Season Watch follows a simple process — register a tree, observe the leaves, flowers and fruit, and upload observations. In her session, Dr Ramaswami will demonstrate this as well as showcase data collected since the project started in 2011-12.

Avicennia marina. Pics/Wikimedia Commons

This Bengaluru-based researcher notes, “Trees tend to be their greenest and leafiest during the monsoons.” She continues that they may appear static and uninteresting — that’s because trees will have put out new leaves in a fully formed canopy in time to catch the rains, but watch it for a few months and you’ll notice interesting things. Dr Ramaswami concludes, “There’s a tree and it’s doing fun things. Look at it, it’s joyful, I promise.”

Dr Geetha Ramaswami

On Today, 6 pm onwards 
Log on to @seasonwatch.in on Instagram to register for the session
Free

Trees to celebrate in Mumbai now 

.  Sterculia foetida (wild almond or jangli badam tree)
.  Lagerstroemia speciosa (pride of India tree)
.  Terminalia catappa (Indian almond tree)
.  Alstonia scholaris (scholar’s tree or saptaparni)
.  Avicennia marina (grey mangrove tree)

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