Project BudBurst

Citizen Science | Sponsored by the National Science Foundation

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Help us monitor these most wanted plants!

American witchhazel
Hamamelis virginiana

American witchhazel is a deciduous shrub with light brown bark. The leaves are dark green and shiny above and pale green on the underside. Young leaves can be covered in rusty colored hairs.

Read more on the species info page.

Common snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus

The flowers of Common snowberry are pinkish-white and bell shaped. An unusual feature is its hollow stems. Common snowberry is very important as browse for many types of wildlife.

Read more on the species info page.

Eastern serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis

A small understory tree or large multi-trunked shrub, 6 to 20 ft tall, usually growing in clumps with many upright branches. The flowers open before the leaves emerge (or leaves are still folded and hairy when flowers emerge).

Read more on the species info page.

Highbush blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum

Highbush blueberry is a deciduous shrub with white bell-shaped flowers and dark green leaves. It is an important food species for birds and mammals.

Read more on the species info page.

Kinnikinnick
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Kinnikinnick is one of the few woody shrubs in the heath family with large, thick evergreen leaves that trails along the ground. It has urn-shaped whitish or pinkish flowers with openings on the bottom.

Read more on the species info page.

Nannyberry
Viburnum lentago

Nannyberry is a shrub with white flowers, berry-like fruits on reddish stems, and leaves arranged oppositely along the stem. The fruits turn blue-black when ripe.

Read more on the species info page.

Paper birch
Betula papyrifera

Birches have flowers in small clusters (catkins) which hang from the branches and mature before leaves emerge. Paper birch has white, peeling bark but some western varieties can have brown or coppery bark.

Read more on the species info page.

Red columbine
Aquilegia canadensis

Red columbines have red, tubular flowers that hang downwards with upward pointing claw-like spurs. They typically have leaves divided in threes which each have three lobes. Hummingbirds and bees are important pollinators of this species.

Read more on the species info page.

Red maple
Acer rubrum

Red maples are distinctive in having the red flowers emerge a week or more before the leaves. In the fall, look for brilliant red leaves.

Read more on the species info page.

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Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge images

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1966 in cooperation with the State of Maine to protect valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds. Located along 50 miles of coastline in York and Cumberland counties, the refuge consists of eleven divisions between Kittery and Cape Elizabeth. The proximity of the refuge to the coast and its location between the eastern deciduous forest and the boreal forest creates a composition of plants and animals not found elsewhere in Maine. Major habitat types present on the refuge include forested upland, barrier beach/dune, coastal meadows, tidal salt marsh, and the distinctive rocky coast. Explore more about the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and ask about the Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.