Public joins experts in blossom watch
11th March 2025
Professional scientific monitoring of fruit trees can be matched in accuracy by the public’s own observations, a new study has shown.
The research, published in Horticulture Research, used FruitWatch data obtained through public submissions to reveal important spatial and temporal trends in blossom dates of UK fruit trees.
As spring officially started on Saturday, 1st March, citizen scientists are needed once again to build on the success of FruitWatch and further help scientists understand flowering patterns in a warming world.
Dr Chris Wyver, FruitWatch organiser from the University of Reading, said: “Initial findings from FruitWatch indicate fascinating patterns in how fruit trees flower across Britain.
“We need more citizen scientists to help us understand how these patterns might change as our climate warms. Early flowering can leave blossoms vulnerable to late frosts and cause problems for pollinators, which can in turn reduce fruit yields.
“It only takes a minute to record what you see, but the impact is lasting.”
Matching the experts
Analysis of FruitWatch submissions from 2022 showed a wave of blossom across the country, from earliest blossom in the south, where temperatures are warmer, to later blossom in the north. Cherry ‘Stella’ trees flowered 1.4 days later for each degree of latitude northward, while Pear ‘Conference’ showed a 1.5-day delay.
The data submitted by thousands of citizen scientists through the FruitWatch project achieved the same precision as traditional scientific monitoring. When combined with advanced modelling techniques, public observations predicted flowering times within four to eight days accuracy – comparable to results from Britain’s National Fruit Collection in Kent.
Britain currently has only two long-term flowering records, both from Kent. This makes it difficult to draw conclusions about whether the relationship between flowers and pollinators observed at these sites is consistent across the country.
Nationwide data collection is vital for British fruit production, worth over £600 million annually, to give a more complete picture of fruit emergence in the UK.
Get involved
To participate in FruitWatch, visit www.fruitwatch.org. The website provides guidance on identifying different flowering stages and allows users to easily upload their observations and photos, contributing to this vital research.
Members of the public can help by photographing and recording when apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, among others, begin to flower in their gardens, parks and local areas.
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