Climate Change in Your Back Garden: Woodland Trust Calls for Citizen Scientists

Published on: 31 Mar, 2025
Updated on: 4 Apr, 2025

The Woodland Trust asks for sightings of frog spawn to be logged.

By Stella Kuchanny

You don’t need to be in the Arctic to witness climate change. In fact, you only need to step into your local park, garden, or woodland. That’s the message from the Woodland Trust this spring, as they invite people across the UK to join their citizen science campaign and help track the changing rhythms of nature.

Their latest initiative, part of the long-running Nature’s Calendar project, urges the public to log sightings of frogspawn, blackthorn blossom, and the song of the song thrush before Easter Monday. While it might sound like a gentle excuse to spend more time in nature, it carries serious scientific weight.

I took a walk in one of Surrey’s local green spaces earlier this week, eyes peeled and ears open. It felt like a treasure hunt—but with far more meaningful rewards. The thrill of spotting frogspawn in a pond or catching the melodic rise and fall of a song thrush’s call isn’t just poetic—it’s powerful. Each observation builds a clearer picture of how seasonal patterns are shifting due to climate change.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, citizen science manager at the Woodland Trust, explains that spring now arrives nine days earlier than it did in the early 20th century. That might sound welcome after a grey winter, but the consequences for wildlife can be drastic. Frogs tricked into breeding too early risk losing their young to a late frost. Early blossoms can bloom before their pollinators are ready.

“Citizen science projects like this one are an essential tool in the fight against climate change,” says Dr Lewthwaite. “Everyone who records any of our three vital signs of spring is making a difference and helping us gather valuable evidence to show what is happening to our planet.”

Early results from the campaign suggest frogspawn is following its traditional west-to-east spread across the UK, which is encouraging. But the data is only as strong as the number of people involved, and there’s still time to add your voice.

The campaign runs until Monday, April 21. Whether you’re taking a stroll through the woods, sitting in your garden with a cuppa, or just passing a hedgerow on your daily commute—keep your eyes and ears open. You might just catch a glimpse of spring’s story as it unfolds.

To log your sightings and help track the signs of a changing climate, visit: woodlandtrust.org.uk/vitalsigns.