A 12” ruler, with ~2 feet of flagging tape tied to it.
A list of 10 random numbers between 1 and 12. In R, run this code, then write the output into your field book before you leave:
sample (1:12, 10, replace = TRUE)
Practice measuring a leaf or two with your app, just to get the hang of it. The leaf could be from anywhere, even an indoor plant. If it has no damage, try poking a few holes in it and pinching a big from the edge to simulate what herbivory looks like.
Also set up a blank table in your book:

Selecting Leaves to Measure

The goal is to measure herbivory on 10 leaves of your target species. But how to choose leaves? If you choose the first 10 leaves you see with evidence of herbivory, ignoring all of the uneaten leaves, that would be a highly biased sample!

There are many methods for obtaining an unbiased sample in the field. We will be using one of the simplest -- the haphazard method.

If your plant grows in a patch
Stand with your back to the patch. Gently toss the ruler over your shoulder, into the patch. (Obviously, make sure no one is around who could be hit!) Wherever it lands, choose the single leaf that is closest to the 0” end of the ruler.

What is the rationale for this strange method? You know that you are looking for grazed leaves. It would be hard for you to avoid the temptation to choose only grazed leaves. By tossing the ruler, you leave the choosing process up to chance. By tossing it over your shoulder, you minimize the possibility of aiming for an especially ‘good’ spot. And the flagging tape? That’s to help you find it again, if it lands in thick vegetation!

If your plant grows as single individuals
Hold the ruler next to the plant, aligning the 0” end with the top of the plant (or as high as you can reach). Consult your random number list, choose the first number, and then select the leaf that is closest to that number on the ruler. Cross out the number, take your measurement. The move on to the next plant, using the next random number on your list. Measure only one leaf from each plant. (tip: if your plant is much shorter than the ruler, just count tick marks -- i.e. if your number is 10, count 10 marks of the smallest increment, and choose the nearest leaf).

Taking data
Having located your leaf in an unbiased manner, assess whether it has been grazed or not. If no grazing, write down 0%. If there is grazing, use your herbivory app to photograph the leaf and get a % grazed measurement. Write this down in the table you’ve prepared, and save the photograph. Congrats! You just recorded your first data point.

Use the “notes” column to take note of anything you happen to notice. For example:

This leaf has little grazing, but other leaves on this plant are very heavily grazed
This is the most grazed leaf on the whole plant.
I saw a squirrel eating this species nearby
Caterpillar webs in this one
Saw some red beetles on the leaves

A note on sample size
Ten samples is the goal. For most common plants, you should have no trouble getting that many. Some plants, however, are more sparsely distributed, i.e. black oak or catalpa. If that’s the case, search the area and do your best to find 10 individuals. But rest assured that any number over 5 would give you enough data to analyze. Field ecologists often don’t get the sample size we want, that’s just the reality of our discipline. All we can do is try our best.

Individual Sharing & Assignment

use your phone to scan your field notes, and upload the resulting pdf to your team's shared drive
enter your data into your team’s shared Google Sheet
answer questions on Canvas (Pilot Wrap-up: Individual Assignment)

Team Meeting

Arrange a time to meet face-to-face as team (your choice whether that’s in person, Zoom, Google Meet, conference call, or something else -- but IT CANNOT BE A TEXT CHAIN OR GROUP CHAT! You must actually be able to speak to each other!

At your meeting, you should accomplish the following things. You'll be uploading your notes and answering a few questions in the Pilot Wrap-up: Team Assignment in Canvas

Choose one person to take notes.
Verify that all students have added their data to the shared data sheet
Does anyone have questions about the data?
Did anyone encounter unexpected problems or challenges while collecting data?
Is there anything from this experience that will be especially valuable in planning your main experiments?

Team Sharing & Assignment

Upload your discussion notes to Canvas (if notes were handwritten, upload a photo)
Answer the Team Assignment questions in Canvas

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