Какого цвета осень?

Dear friends!

I had a third example of a research and comment ... I'll start with comments. In fact, in the years that I have been involved in the work GlobalLab, I used to consider myself an experienced researcher. In fact, I can say it was taught another student's desk, because in biological faculty of Moscow State University was field practice even among students of the first branch (physiologists, not Polevikov). But in the early years And this is not an easy science flew in one ear and flew to another, unable to withstand competition from the PCR and electrophoresis of proteins ... But I was disappointed in myself as a scholar in the practice in the field of molecular biology, I went to work in the school . And there is the ability to observe and learn to observe other was of paramount importance. And so I studied, mastered the technique, we are doing a project and I am, as already mentioned above, I began to consider himself an experienced observer.

This self-blinding me with a colleague from an elementary school and a colleague from Zherdёvki implemented a project to study the changes in the autumn coloring of the leaves of plants. In the first year the project started very well, scored a lot of questionnaires, and I also actively place where information on the trees in his yard, and on those areas where we have traditionally seen the children. I just waited for the next year, when I can learn to change color of autumn leaves of these plants or not.

Came a new fall, armed with a camera, I took his steps carefully removed all the trees, which is being watched in the past year ... It's time to compare the results, analyze, summarize. I opened the project results, sort and filter your profiles. I opened the camera's memory card and put on the new screen shots of trees ... And what?

And nothing at all! Six weeks of observation and 500 pictures - three matching plants! Two maple and aspen ... But I was full of confidence that all fixed!

Where is the morality? And the moral is simple: Keep a diary of observations. Tick ​​the desired plants, consult the diary, photos, and when you do fix-up. Keep all records in one place. And if you're an experienced researcher!

And the example of the color change of autumn leaves, albeit very weak, here:

September 27, 2014 was made ​​this observation.

September 25, 2015 the same tree was so.

The color change is, but weak, as I wrote in detail in the text field of the questionnaire.

I'll wait for next fall ... and what results you can share?

Dear Colleagues!

One of the hypotheses of our project had the approval of: the tree can not change the color, which is painted in its leaves. In the second year of observations I have the feeling that it is necessary to clarify the hypothesis. Now it turns out that not every tree can change the color, which is painted in its leaves.

Now I have two examples. An example of conservation in the case of color maple platanovidnogo.

This maple leaf photographed in October 2014.

A second maple leaf photographed in September 2015 ... agree that they are very similar. In general, the branches of the maple were quite variegated colored leaves, but with a clear predominance here of reddish tones.

I conclude that the maple their autumn colors keeps at least the last two years.

But the opposite example - tree, which changed its color.

That leaves of aspen in 2014. All wood in the same year it was painted bright yellow.

But the list from the same tree. Photo 2015. This year, a large part of the crown started to get red. Some leaves have yellow or reddish-yellow.

It can be concluded that the two years of observation, this aspen color changes.

Try it and you install these laws.

The subject of my research interests is phenology. The easiest way to describe this science, as the science of seasonal phenomena in nature. The main methodological principles phenology - the constancy and consistency, so that during the five years that I explore nature near his home and school, I had a very precise study of all the plants nearby neighborhoods and amass a huge database of photographs of all these plants in different seasons. As a result, since I still photograph all the trees, send a dozen other profiles in such a project, I could just casually.

List of plants studied by me is:

1. Warty birch
2. Hawthorn
3. Prunus padus
4. Prunus maackii
5. European spindle tree
6. Tilia × europaea
7. Maple platanovidny
8. Acer tataricum
9. Acer negundo
10. Acer ginnala
11. Maple sugary
12. Apple
13. Cherry
14. Rowan
15. Aronia
16. Shadberry
17. Viburnum
18. Lilac
19. Fraxinus americana
20. Aspen
21. Alder
22. Poplar
23. Briar
24. Buckeye
25. Goat Willow

Almost all the plants growing in my own backyard, part of growing in a natural park by the river, where I regularly go to the observations (while walking with a child). Fill out the questionnaire was no problem, the problem began when I realized that nothing about one plant can not say exactly what kind of autumn colors before it is acquired. The fact that I was always more interested in the spring and summer, so accurate picture of specific trees in past years have been the fall in rare cases. As a result, about two trees from a list of 25 species I can say that they have not changed the color - two maple platanovidnyh. There are trees, about which it is known that they do not change color: ash, birch, alder, lilacs. While in the field of lilac I made a discovery, finding in Moscow lilac with crimson leaves.

My personal conclusion: to confirm or refute the hypothesis must be on next fall to take photos of the same tree, and compare the results. Also I would like to trees that vary in color, shoot all the stages of development of the autumn coloring, day after day, because about Rowan I had a suspicion that they are simply out of the cream, reddish, pinkish-yellow, gradually became burgundy. A photograph of one tree every day I do not.

And what personal conclusions appeared to you?

Dear Colleagues, Dear friends!

The project had started and fostered teacher Moscow Ekaterina Ivanova, a teacher of Zherdevka Elena Petrova and not without a tutor GlobalLab Jana Zlochevskiy, and held this fall season is adjourned!

Today, exactly a week since the project started. 87 filled questionnaires, which means you can make the first conclusions!