In the depths of cold, dark winter, it’s easy to forget that new life is growing under our feet. Now, citizen scientists across the UK are being asked to keep an eye out for tangible signs that Spring is on its way for a wide-ranging research project.
The Signs of Spring Survey 2025 is now live and people are being encouraged to start logging the first sightings of snowdrops and a range of other species which indicate that spring is on its way.
The survey, which was conducted for the first time last year, is an initiative run by leading environmental education charity the Field Studies Council in partnership with the Royal Society of Biology.
In 2024, more than 3,700 individual submissions were made by members of the public with the first sightings in early January.
Helen Robertson, from the Field Studies Council, said: “The data we collect this year will be added to the 2024 survey information so we can start to build a picture of how climate change is impacting the emergence of spring biodiversity.
“The bigger the data set, the more accurate picture we can get of what is happening to the plants and insects that we rely on, so citizen scientists have a huge role to play. Anyone can take part, from school children to pensioners, and we will be collecting information from January through to the end of June.”
The Signs of Spring Survey asks members of the public to record when they first see 10 different signals of warmer weather, including daffodils and bumblebees.
Last year, snowdrops (1,160 sightings) and daffodils (828) were the most recorded signs, followed by hazel catkins (420), bumblebees (409), bluebells (245), butterflies (221), ladybirds (193), first cut of the lawn (125), frog spawn (119) and damselflies and dragonflies (36).
Helen added: “As expected, most – but not all – signs of Spring are spotted in the south first, then move north as the weather warms up.
“The results of the survey will help us to map trends over time, giving us definitive evidence of whether climate change is having an effect on our seasonal species. It is also important that we continue to monitor species such as butterflies and bumblebees, as their numbers continue to decrease across the UK due to loss of habitat and lack of green space.”
Susie Rabin, Associate Director of Communications and Public Affairs at RSB, added: “Spotting the positive signs of spring and noticing the changes of the season for the better is a great way for people to get outside.
“Almost like an interactive game, the survey helps us be more mindful of our surroundings as well as contributing important data to help us better understand nature’s rhythms and cycles around us.”
Sightings can be logged through the Signs of Spring portal at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/ea91fe9f98e647c888a597d3273abecf
The Royal Society of Biology: www.rsb.org.uk
The Royal Society of Biology is a single unified voice for biology: advising Government and influencing policy; advancing education and professional development; supporting our members, and engaging and encouraging public interest in the life sciences. The Society represents a diverse membership of individuals, learned societies and other organisations.