Observing phenology is a fun activity for adults and children alike.

Nature’s Notebook  invites citizens to get outside this spring, and join their neighbors in observing plant and animal life events in your backyard.

Gardeners, farmers, birders, hikers, anglers, joggers or all-around nature enthusiasts are already recording the recurring events they see in the lives of the plants and animals around them,  such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn, or when leaves turn color in the fall.

Each entry in Nature’s Notebook represents important scientific information about an actual event in a plant or animal’s life.  And when amassed together, these observations are making it possible for scientists to better understand how species are responding to climate change and to develop more informed tools for responding to climate change.

This spring, we hope citizen-scientists will help us out in one (or several!) of Nature’s Notebook new campaigns: Cloned Lilacs and Dogwoods; Maples, Oaks, and Poplars; PopClock; New England Leaf-Out Project; the Juniper Pollen Project; and the Common Lilacs and Native Flowering Dogwood Project. Visit the campaigns pages to learn about which species are of interest for your area.

But if these campaigns don’t interest you, there are many other types of species Nature’s Notebook welcomes observations for – including plants, birds, mammals, insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Spring Springing Earlier?

Scientists recently used data collected by observers in Nature’s Notebook to determine that the “green-wave” of spring – or the flush of growth on trees and other plants across the nation – has already shifted – and will shift more dramatically in the future – as the climate changes.  The study (published in Geophysical Research Letters) showed how the green-wave, which now takes about 75 days to travel from Miami to Maine, may take as few as 59 days by the end of the century!  Thus, spring will arrive more quickly, and forest areas may become more similar to one another along the Eastern Seaboard.

And, in fact, warm spring temperatures in both 2010 and 2012 in the eastern half of the country resulted in record early activity of plant and animals – 2-3 weeks early in some places and for some species; the data for spring 2013 – which officially starts today – are rolling in, but they suggest early activity among some plants and animals this year as well.

Citizen-scientists monitor the different life events of certain animals and plants, including the bluebell flower pictured here.

Jake Weltzin, an ecologist with USGS and the executive director of the USA National Phenology Network, which manages the Nature’s Notebook observing program, noted that although an earlier spring brings early birds and beautiful flowers and glorious days at the shore, it also brings us earlier-arriving allergies and pests like ticks and mosquitoes. And while a longer growing season can result in increased yields for some crops, it is risky because of the higher likelihood of plant damage due to late frosts or later onset of drought. For example, in spring 2012, fruit and vegetable crops in portions of the Midwest were damaged from a very early spring followed by frosts.

Phenology, the Study of Nature’s Calendar

The study of when recurring seasonal life stages of plants and animals occur is called phenology, and people have tracked phenology for centuries for the most practical of reasons: when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to move livestock or animal herds.

Tracking phenology is just as critical today for the same reasons and for new ones too.  Not only are the data in Nature’s Notebook helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change, but also how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems. This information is already being used in ways that benefit society, including developing more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy season or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and helping in habitat-restoration efforts.

Arizona saquaro will be one of the species looked at by USA-NPN volunteers.

Is Climate Change Knocking Nature Out of Sync?

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of local, regional and global change. Just as in the United States, many springtime events around the world are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that may have been essentially stable for thousands of years.

Some wildlife – like caribou and butterflies and hummingbirds – are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently.  Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north, adjusting their pace to keep up with an advancing front of spring flowering.

Phenology, Pollinators, and Food

Working farms and ranches need phenology information too:  pollination by native insects contributes more than $3 billion in agricultural crops each year. Climate-driven changes in the phenology of crops and native insects could change the effectiveness of insect pollination for better or for worse, and certainly complicates management decisions.  However, because little is known about how pollinator phenology is changing, it is difficult to accurately assess how crops will be affected and how farmers might best adapt. By collecting observations of insect phenology and crop phenology together, the USA-NPN is contributing to our understanding of the changes taking place and helping to ensure the viability of crops across the country.

Where You Come In

In three simple steps, you can become a citizen scientist: 1. Join Nature’s Notebook, 2. Choose the location and species you’ll observe, and 3. Start observing!

By joining the program, you ultimately empower your hobby to benefit scientific discovery.

USA-National Phenology Network citizen-scientist Lucille Tower records the one millionth observation on maple vine in the large nature database.

What Changes Are Happening Where I Live?

Want to know more about observed changes in plant and animal phenology in your region over the last century? Explore the USA-NPN’s recent series of regional information sheets:

• Alaska and the Arctic
• Great Plains
• Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands
• Midwest
• Northeast
• Pacific Northwest
• Southeast
• Southwest

More about the USA-NPN

The USA National Phenology Network is a partnership among governmental and nongovernmental science and resource management agencies and organizations, the academic community and the public.  There are more ways to get involved – partner your organization with the Network, let us know about legacy phenology data sets or even share a dataset you may have already collected, or help us rescue historical bird migration datasets.  For more information visit USA-NPN or contact Jake Weltzin at jweltzin@usgs.gov.

Listen to a Spanish-language podcast about USA-NPN.

A Gillette's checkerspot butterfly visiting sneezeweed. Credit: A. Miller-Rushing

As the climate has warmed, many plants are starting to grow leaves and bloom flowers earlier. A new study published in the journal, Nature, suggests that most field experiments may underestimate the degree to which the timing of leafing and flowering changes with global warming.

Understanding how plants are responding to climate change will help develop more accurate indicators of spring, forecast the onset of allergy season or the chances of western wildfires, manage wildlife and invasive plants, and help inform habitat restoration plans.

In this new study, scientists evaluated the sensitivity of plants to changes in temperature using two sources: experimental plots versus historical observations from natural sites.

The experiments analyzed in this study were conducted by artificially inducing warming in small study plots, and then measuring plant responses. The historical observations entailed long-term monitoring of multiple species at natural ecological research sites without any manipulation. The date of leafing and flowering was synthesized for dozens of warming experiments and monitoring sites across the Northern Hemisphere.

Scientists conclude that compared to warming experiments, historical monitoring shows temperature sensitivity to be four times greater for leafing and over eight times faster for flowering.

Recording how climatic variations and trends impact seasonal events in plants. Credit: A. Miller-Rushing

On average, the warming experiments predicted that every degree rise in Celsius would advance plants’ flowering and leafing from half a day to 1.6 days, while historical observations indicate a temperature sensitivity of about 5 to 6 days per degree Celsius. The finding was strikingly consistent across species and datasets. Conclusions from this study are based on analysis of more than 1600 plant species on four continents.

The study of how climatic variations and trends impact seasonal events in plants and animals is termed “phenology.” This includes when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn, or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team led by Elizabeth Wolkovich, with the University of British Columbia, and Ben Cook, with NASA-Goddard. The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, the State of California and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the USA-National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) also provided support and assisted with assembling and analyzing historical phenological observations and climate data.

Future Tracks: Experiments and Observations

Observing changes in the seasonality of plants in Concord, Massachussets. Credit: A. Miller-Rushing

The authors of the Nature paper recognize the value of both experiments and monitoring. They call for standardization of measurements and protocols as well as improvements in experimental design, and continuation and expansion of long-term monitoring efforts like the USA-NPN.

The USA-NPN brings together citizen scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators and students of all ages to monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals in the United States. The USA-NPN was established by the USGS in collaboration with the National Science Foundation.

“This study underscores the reasons for recent establishment of a USA-NPN to help track, understand, and hopefully forecast different species responses to climate variability and change across the U.S.,” said USGS scientist Julio Betancourt, who is a co-author of this new report.

You Can Help! Track the Pulse of our Planet

We need your help to track the pulse of our planet. Through the USA-NPN’s Nature’s Notebook, citizens across the nation are providing data on plants and animals.

People like you — gardeners, farmers, birders, hikers, anglers, joggers, or all-around nature enthusiasts — are already recording the recurring events they see in the lives of the plants and animals around them. This includes when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn, or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

Become involved and sign up through the USA-NPN website, or contact the USA-NPN Executive Director Jake Weltzin at jweltzin@usgs.gov.

Mining bee on great false leopardbane in Concord, Massachusetts. Credit: A. Miller-Rushing

More Information

Read a University of California, San Diego, press release, as well as a NASA feature, on this new article.

Nature’s Notebook  needs you to get outside this spring, join many other observers across the nation, and help it reach its millionth observation of plant and animal life events.

People like you — gardeners, farmers, birders, hikers, anglers, joggers, or all-around nature enthusiasts — are already recording the recurring events they see in the lives of the plants and animals around them — such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn, or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

Arizona saguaro. USGS

And the millionth observation is imminent — as of the week of April 1 – 7, citizen-scientists around the country have already clocked in with the 900,000^th observation of 16,000 individual plants and animals at 5,000 sites. Each entry represents important scientific information about an actual event in a specific plant or animal’s life.

“Hitting the one millionth observation will be quite exciting, because large sets of data ultimately result in better, more informed policy and management decisions about our environment,” said Jake Weltzin, executive director of the USA-National Phenology Network, which manages Nature’s Notebook.  “Clean water and healthy wildlife are everyone’s goal, but scientists and land managers need your help to gather observations that we can’t do alone.”

Knowledge of when recurring life stages occur is referred to as phenology, and people have tracked phenology for centuries for the most practical of reasons: when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to navigate waterways.

Tracking phenology is just as critical today for the same reasons and for new ones too.  The data in Nature’s Notebook are helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and, in turn, how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems. This information is already being used or will be used in ways that benefit society, including developing more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy season or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting baselines for performance when restoring habitats.

Phenology and Climate Change

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of global change. Across the world, many springtime events are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that have been stable for thousands of years.  Some wildlife-like caribou and butterflies-are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently.  Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north more quickly to keep pace with an advancing front of spring flowering.

Working farms and ranches need phenology information too:  pollination by native insects contributes more than $3 billion in agricultural crops each year. Climate-driven changes in the phenology of crops and native insects could change the effectiveness of insect pollination for the better or for the worse, and certainly complicates management decisions.  However, we know very little about how pollinator phenology is changing, which makes it difficult to predict how crops will be affected and how farmers might best adapt their management practices. By collecting observations of insect phenology and crop phenology together, the USA-NPN is contributing to our understanding of the changes taking place and helping to ensure the viability of crops across the country.

In short, scientists need more and better information about the pace and pattern of nature — locally to nationally — to  answer important scientific and societal questions, and to build the tools and models needed to help people understand and adapt to the changes. Nature’s Notebook, by providing a place for people to enter, store, and share their observations, makes it possible for the general public to help researchers improve the understanding about how changes in phenology relate to changes in climate our environments.

And This is Where You Come In

“The more data the better,” said Weltzin who, as an ecologist, has contributed his share of observations to Nature’s Notebook by tracking flowering and fruiting of cactus near his Tucson home.“By compiling observations from our participants, we’re starting to be able to piece together large-scale changes, like the early spring in 2010, which stretched from Missouri to Maine.  And, as you probably already know, 2012 is shaping up to be just as unusual…in most places, winter was weak, and spring is soon upon us, bringing not only early birds and beautiful flowers and a new batch of maple syrup, but also allergies and invasive plants and insect pests like mosquitos.”

So if you are interested in becoming a citizen-scientist, there are four simple steps: learn about the plants and animals you can observe in your area, learn how to observe, sign up, and log in to Nature’s Notebook and record your observations.  And maybe, just maybe, you will record the one millionth observation.  More importantly, Nature’s Notebook is an exciting way for you to experience plants or animals you see all the time in a brand new way.  Participating can help you:

A green treefrog in Florida. William J. Barichivich, USGS

• Advance your knowledge and more intimately connect with plants and animals in your area
• Experience nature up close in a way few people have the opportunity to do
• Organize and interpret your own observations of seasonal change using cutting-edge mapping tools
• Contribute to a historic effort that benefits future generations

By joining the program, you ultimately empower your hobby to benefit scientific discovery. To get started, check out this Nature’s Notebook webpage.

More about Nature’s Notebook and USA-NPN

The USA National Phenology Network is a partnership among governmental and nongovernmental science and resource management agencies and organizations, the academic community, and the public.   There are more ways to get involved – partner your organization with us, let us know about legacy phenology data sets, or even share a dataset you may have already collected. For more information visit USA-NPN or contact Jake Weltzin at jweltzin@usgs.gov.

Other USGS Citizen-Science Programs

USGS citizen-science programs want YOU to be the scientist.  The public helps us collect data used by emergency responders, scientists, and resource managers. Here are some other USGS citizen-science programs:

Did You Feel It? After earthquakes or shaking events, “Did you Feel It?” collects web-based citizen responses to help provide rapid intensity assessments for earthquake science and response. The involvement of citizens is key because decisions made during and immediately after an earthquake can save lives and protect property.  If you are a tweeter, consider using “Did You Tweet It?” to record what you are experiencing in real time. The USGS Twitter Earthquake Dispatch (@USGSted) application helps the USGS discern how severe an earthquake might be.

Breeding Bird Survey:  Since 1966, thousands of volunteers have contributed data used by the USGS’s North American Breeding Bird Survey to monitor populations of more than 400 bird species. This citizen-science program helps identify conservation priorities and inform sound management practices.

North American Bird Phenology Program: Between 1880 and 1970, volunteers collected information about migratory birds across North America. Now, citizens worldwide are helping the North American Bird Phenology Program rescue and curate the data from this historical collection of six million bird migration card observations, illuminating migration patterns and population status of birds across the continent.

Wildlife Health Event Reporter: The Wildlife Health Event Reporter (WHER) enables anyone with an Internet connection to report sightings of sick or dead wildlife. HealthMap.org has enhanced its mobile phone application “Outbreaks Near Me” to accept and relay wildlife health reports to the WHER site. These tools can lead to the detection and containment of wildlife disease outbreaks that may pose a health risk to wildlife, domestic animals, or people.