Breaking Records Exhibit

An indoor/outdoor exhibit showcasing the science of phenology, simply the study of nature over time. Illustrations of the world’s longest phenological plant series data demonstrate the great acceleration that has occurred since the 1980s.

Stop into the Education Center to discover the outsized impact on alpine and higher-latitude ecosystems and find family-friendly activities including:

Tundra Explorer Game -A floor-sized game based on Chutes and Ladders. Follow Arctic Explorer Knud and his dog sled team as he heads for the Ultima Thule – the furthest north!

Flower Phase Family Scavenger Hunt -the Gardens collects data weekly for the National Phenology Network and Project Budburst to help track the phenology, life cycle changes, of 20 plants around Ford Park and the Gardens. Families can find 10 of the plants and figure out their pheno-phase for a prize!

Head outdoors to continue the exploration with Breaking Records: Recording and Collecting Plants from the World’s Coldest and Highest Places, combining history and botany. Twelve panels throughout Ford Park will highlight expeditions and botanists that recorded and collected plants from the world’s harshest environments. Today, scientists are returning to these same places and finding change.