This is NPR's life kit.

Spring has officially sprung, and if you're anything like me, you've been spending a lot

more time just noticing things, like the songs of Sparrow's outside your apartment window.

Are the purple crocuses bursting into bloom in a nearby park?

But did you know those kinds of observations could actually be helpful to scientists?

In fact, during the pandemic, as many of us have been forced to stay close to home, we've

seen a growing number of people participating in something called citizen science.

That's when people like you and me voluntarily collect data out in the world, or in our

own backyards, to help professional scientists study everything from the migratory patterns

of butterflies to neighborhood air quality.

There are literally thousands of citizen science projects out there waiting to be explored.

A few clicks away.

I'm Meg Dalton, and in this episode of Life Kit, we're exploring how and why to try citizen

science.

If you're like me and are deeply curious about the world around you, then citizen science

might just be the thing you need in your life.

I would describe myself as a consistently inconsistent citizen scientist.

And because of that, we'll be joined by a few very experienced citizen scientists.

They're going to help us understand how to get started.

You can study nature in the cracks of the sidewalk.

You really can.

There are insects everywhere.

...