After collaborating with Field Studies Council last year for the first time on the Signs of Spring citizen science project, the Royal Society of Biology is pleased to announce its continuation of the project this year.

The aim of the survey is to track 10 key indicator species with the emergence of spring across the UK, allowing members of the public – from avid nature lovers to dog walkers venturing to their local park – to chart the arrival of the new season.

The brilliant white of the first snowdrop, a tiny bud on a tree, or a dragonfly gliding past are all signs that spring is on the way. The project will encourage people to spot and record when they see particular signs of spring in nature, such as frogspawn in ponds and the emergence of daffodils.

The data received will feed into a website which will update findings around the country as they arrive. Once complete, this set of UK-wide biological records will be combined with results from last year’s survey, in combination with future surveys, and used to help monitor the impacts of the climate crisis on nature.

Susie Rabin, Associate Director of Communications and Public Affairs at RSB, said: “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. We’re looking forward to working with FSC on this again after our successful first year last year and seeing how people are enjoying nature.”

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.”

Tracking data from 1 January and continuing throughout the early months of the year, the survey will ask people to record evidence of 10 different signs of spring while they are out and about: bluebells, bumblebees, butterflies, daffodils, damselflies and dragonflies, frogspawn, hazel catkins, ladybirds, snowdrops, and the first cut of the lawn.

In addition to recording each of the signs of spring, those taking part will be asked for information about the weather conditions and time of day to make sure the information is as complete as possible. The survey is open to all, and there will be a live map to chart the responses of people around the country for everyone to track.

For more information about the survey visit our Signs of Spring survey webpage.