Citizen scientists, young and old, have made a significant and important contribution to a new data set which will be used to track changes in UK biodiversity.

More than 3,700 individual submissions were made to the inaugural Signs of Spring Survey launched in 2024 by leading environmental education charity the Field Studies Council (FSC) in partnership with RSB.

Amy Bandaranayake, the Field Studies Council’s Digital Learning Officer who led the project, said the citizen-collected data would be used by researchers to chart geographical changes in spring-time species as well as the impact of climate change.

She said: “The overwhelming response to this survey not only demonstrates the public’s growing curiosity in the natural world, but it also shows that individuals are recognising the important contribution they can make to science-led studies. We are particularly pleased with the results and we’d like to say a huge thank you to all those that participated.”

A phenomenal response was received with 3,756 sightings of spring recorded across the UK over the six-month period from January to June. The very first sightings recorded were daffodils near Monmouth in Wales and hazel catkins in Leatherhead, Surrey.

The sign of spring observed most frequently was snowdrops, with 1,160 records submitted, followed by daffodils with 828 sightings. Hazel catkins were the third most observed sign of spring with 420 records, followed by bumblebees (409), bluebells (245), butterflies (221), ladybirds (193), first cut of the lawn (125), frog spawn (119), and damselflies/dragonflies (36).

Amy added: “The location data shows that, as expected, spring starts in the south and moves northwards, but as it’s the first year we’ve run the survey we’re not yet able to make any definitive statements on what it tells us about the impact of climate change.

“However, it is expected that signs of spring will appear earlier and earlier as climate change continues to warm the earth. Increases in average temperatures can cause flowers to bloom earlier than expected and this will have a knock-on effect on pollinators such as bees and butterflies and can impact whole ecosystems.

People of all ages took part in the survey from those younger than 15 to those in their early 70s, demonstrating how widely engaged the UK public is with nature and the world around them.

Citizen scientists have a vital role to play in helping organisations such as FSC to capture large data sets which can be used over a period of time to chart important changes. Big data sets can give a much better indication of what is occurring on a large scale than can otherwise be collected by a small samples.

Susie Rabin, RSB’s Associate Director of Communications and Public Affairs, said: “We are so pleased that so many people took part in the Signs of Spring survey. It’s encouraging to know that the public has a strong interest in getting involved and their contribution is invaluable. Snowdrops, in particular, are such an iconic sign of spring so it was great to see over 1,000 people reporting spotting them. We’re looking forward to running the survey again next year and the results it will bring.”

As this data continues to be built on with the results of future surveys, it will enable the impact of climate change on the environment and individual species to be monitored more clearly.