For SciStarter.com, 2011

My garden this year is a jumbled-up kind
My cow peas and daisies are all inter-twined
My botanist friend had me plant them just so
She's collecting the data that may help her show
How a good mix of plants brings more insects afield
And maybe more bugs means a healthier yield
And I jumped at the chance to take part in her plan
Cause I'm happy to help when I can

I'm a citizen
Scientist
Citizen
Scientist
Joining the planet-wide dance
That helps human knowledge advance

I've weighed my tomatoes and measured their size
I've counted the cutworms and spiders and flies
My botanist friend takes the data all down
She'll compare it with gardens from all over town
And maybe the numbers will show us the way
Toward gardening well without pesticide spray
But whether or not her study bares any fruit
It has still been a worthwhile pursuit

repeat chorus

And when the garden has been tilled,
What new project will I do?
I could help explore the cosmos
For the Galaxy Zoo
I could sift through tiny fossils from mastodon times
I could try to fold some proteins with Fold.it online
In the Great Backyard Bird Count I could help keep track of birds
With SETI@home I could search for alien words
And for more exciting projects I could start working on
I'll visit s c i starter dot com
I'll visit s c i starter dot com