Journey North Tulip Garden and Climate Study

Tulip Test Gardens

Spring 2010	Posted Thursdays: Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25, Mar. 4, 11, 18, 25, Apr. 1, 8, 15, 22, 28, May 6
	Final, Final Tulip Garden Update: May 27, 2010 It's celebration time for gardeners all across North America who participated in reporting, predicting, and observing their Journey North gardens! The last 2 northern gardeners reported blooming tulips in Anchorage, Alaska, and Blackfalds, Alberta. Let's celebrate with them! Thanks for participating in the BIG experiment! Photos: Patrick Ryan
	May 6, 2010 Celebration time in Palmer, Alaska, where their tulips have survived the winter and are emerging. Explore what springtime in Saskatchewan means in the tulip garden. Will they bloom by the end of May? What did you learn this year? We have some neat assessment projects and tools to help you organize the year. Stay tuned for a brief update May 20, when we celebrate northern gardens' blooming tulips. Thanks for participating in the BIG experiment!
	April 29, 2010 Mystery in an Alaskan garden; what caused the mushy mess? Springtime in one of our gardens brought 6" of snow on Earth Day. Can you guess which garden? Learn about phototropism and watch how plants really move with the power of the sun. Try watching your tulips move. Play a game where you study the map, then only give the answer to a question. Have a partner guess the possible questions.
	April 22, 2010 The map is mostly red this week, but tulips are just emerging in some gardens in Oregon, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Alaska. In your blooming gardens lies an opportunity for a botany lesson. A slideshow will help you study the tulip flower and its separate parts. Discover some other related flowers. Check out a flower "sport." Maybe you have one in your garden, too.
	April 15, 2010 Another week of warm weather in the east and the map has exploded in RED. Gardens as far north as New Brunswick reported bloom. Students at Cook School discovered something interesting in their garden. Take a look and see what you think is going on.Visit a couple of gardens in bloom this week. One garden to visit is located in a country bordered by the Caspian Sea. Can you guess what it is? Photo: Teri Bickmore
	April 8, 2010 It was an astonishing week for the tulip garden. As rain fell and temperatures soared for much of the continent there was plenty of action in the tulip garden. Visit a couple of gardens in bloom this week. Get out into the excitement of spring and discover what is happening. Make a phenology record for this time of bloom in the tulip garden. Photo: Jill Vizza
	April 1, 2010 Tulips are emerging and blooming all over the map. Take some time to really look closely at your tulip flowers. You'll be inspired by the art of Georgia O'Keeffe to look at your tulip flower a little differently. Create some art in the garden. Meet Bob the Bulb and learn about how to outsmart the critters to keep them from munching your tulips. Photo: Judy Huter
	March 25, 2010 Spring has officially arrived, and it has sprung in typical fashion. Warm in some parts of the continent and tulips are setting records for their early arrival. In other parts spring snow storms have dropped some white stuff onto the garden. How will this affect the tulip plants? Find out more this week. Spark some good questions with our gallery of photos. "Ask the Expert" opens Friday. Then go outside to find inspiration for writing cinquain poetry.
	March 18, 2010 As a heat wave crossed the middle section of the continent, snow melted to reveal tulips emerging in a whopping 43 new gardens this week! Is spring early or late this year? Try monitoring temps in your garden to compare them to the average. Try some tulip math with the Nottingham garden data. Meet a tulip cousin and see how they are alike. Watch a slide show to learn where tulips come from and why they are so tough.
	March 11, 2010 In many parts of the Northern Hemisphere daylength and the right weather have brought tulip gardens to life. Since our last update there have been 35 more gardens reported emerged! Explore the map to discover more about geography and spring's arrival this week. Use the handy growth chart to measure and observe in the garden during these days that you can almost see the tulip plants grow. One more Mystery Garden to solve this week. Use the clues to help find it.
	March 4, 2010 This week gardens are popping up as we gain more daylight across the Northern Hemisphere. Our first tulip garden has bloomed for the 2010 season! Where do you think it is? Get out your markers and learn about isotherms and temperature maps. Then, in honor of the first blooming garden we look closely at flowers. Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast. Put on your lab coat and let's explore!
	February 25, 2010 This week gardens are emerging after last week's slowdown with cold temperatures hovering across much of the continent. What happens to plants when freezing temperatures hit? Try an experiment to find out. Watch for the first gardens to show red on the map. Keep your eyes open for earthworms and more. More clues provided for solving Mystery Garden #2 location.
	February 18, 2010 Cold and snowy weather result in only a couple of reported emerged tulip gardens on the map this week. Temperatures over land and sea give us more clues this week about spring's arrival. What can we learn from ocean currents? Predict where and when the next tulips will emerge using the climate knowledge you've gained this spring. This week we have 2 Mystery Gardens. Use the clues and our Tulip Test Garden map to see if you can find them.
	February 11, 2010 Snow is the big word for the week: snow day, snow cover, snow storm, snow emergency! Learn about Wilson Bentley, the Snowflake Man, and how he gave us our first look at real snowflakes. How might a cold blanket of snow affect Journey North Tulip Gardens? Find out how many official weather observers help us track the weather. Then track your own weather at your school site.
	February 4 , 2010 Welcome to the Tulip Test Garden experiment! Somewhere across the vast continent tulips have emerged. Why are some tulips emerging while others are not? What does climate have to do with it? Start an investigation by looking at the factors related to climate and plant growth. Take a virtual garden tour this week and learn what others are doing in their gardens and classrooms.

Fall 2009	Posted Thursdays: Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12, Dec. 10, and Jan. 7
	January 7, 2010 It's about as cold as it will get this winter (on most parts of the continent). Grab your journal and head outside to observe and record. Your bulbs are settled seven inches underground. What's going on under there? If you have early emergence be sure to report it, and if you expect winter to return, mulch the garden to protect tulips from damage. Check out our slideshow showing all kinds of weather maps.
	December 10, 2009 The deepest, darkest part of winter is approaching, but 336 Journey North gardens are safely tucked into the ground and ready for spring. What's the climate like in these different places, and how will climate affect growth in the gardens? Investigate the factors that affect climate and plant growth. Try the Global Climate Challenge! Photos: Wikipedia
	November 12, 2009 Gardeners are digging in now that the rains of October are passed. Two hundred twenty gardens are in so far. Read a sampling of enthusiastic garden reports. Then view a new slideshow about critters in the garden. Find out how to meet a global garden partner and how to design a plan for a microclimate garden. Can YOU meet our challenge? Photo credit: Audrey Aubrecht
	October 8, 2009 What is a tulip bulb? Science begins with observation. Learn to look at your bulb closely. Draw it, and compare it with others. How would you describe it? New Journey North tulip garden maps give us a good view of Europe and Asia. Watch for gardens to appear on the other side of the globe this fall! Brush up on map reading with weather maps. And, try an experimental garden to compare with your official Journey North garden.
	September 10, 2009 Welcome to Journey North's Tulip Test Garden Climate Study! Kick off the season with an introductory video and slideshow to explain what it’s all about. Then head outdoors to explore the schoolyard and choose a site that best represents your local climate. Print a take-home letter to invite families and friends to join the experiment. Finally, explore tips to help you organize your Journey North garden study this year.
	Welcome and Orientation Beginning September 10, Tulip UPDATES will be posted here. Get ready to plant your bulbs for this year's tulip project. Find out how to report your planting and track the arrival of spring on real-time maps.(More...)