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Dear USA-NPN,
This is a time of many transitions, with students finishing up their academic years and folks setting off on summer travels. Here in Tucson, we are enjoying flowering of cacti and other desert plants, including our iconic saguaro! According to data collected by Nature's Notebook observers (and visible on the graph below), saguaros got a late start to blooming this year. This may be the result of a wet winter, or perhaps the relatively cool temperatures we've experienced so far this year. In terms of accumulated heat, we are six days behind schedule in the Tucson area. You can see how far ahead or behind schedule your zip code is on our Visualization Tool.
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How are the plants and animals you track responding to the weather in your location? Don't forget to log your Nature's Notebook observations to document your findings!
Sincerely,
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What's new at Nature's Notebook and USA-NPN
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USA-NPN 2023 Annual Report | |
Our 2023 Annual Report is here! See what we accomplished together last year thanks to the work of our Nature's Notebook observers and many partners.
Read the USA-NPN's 2023 Annual Report »
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New Info Sheets for FWS Refuges | |
As a capstone to our partnership with US Fish & Wildlife Service, we've put together a series of info sheets describing phenological changes in each of the eight NWRS regions. The info sheets provide a summary of published changes in phenology, highlights of how partners in the region are using phenology, changes that are being documented by refuges, and practical information on what it takes to set up a phenological monitoring program to meet management needs.
Read the Regional Info Sheets »
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New species added to Nature's Notebook | |
Did you know? We are constantly adding plant and animal species to Nature's Notebook to support local monitoring needs. This spring, we added 87 plants, three birds, two insects, and a toad, for a total of 1,850 taxa now available to track through the platform. Let us know if you have requests!
See the Nature's Notebook species list »
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Photo: clemigoropal via iNaturalist, CC BY-NC | |
Change in spring onset in last 40 years | |
An analysis in the Washington Post uses the Spring Leaf Indices to show that spring is trending earlier over the past 40 years in many parts of the country. You can plug in your city to their tool to see the change in your area.
Read the article »
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Recent happenings in the field of phenology | |
Nature's Notebook observers help pinpoint when to take action against invasive hemlock woolly adelgid | |
Invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae or HWA) has caused widespread decline and mortality in hemlock trees, an important foundation species in the Eastern U.S. One method used for control of this species is the release of specialist predators at two life cycle stages: emergence from summer dormancy in early fall and egg laying in late winter. Authors of this study engaged Nature’s Notebook observers to collect data on HWA. The authors found that emergence of HWA from summer dormancy was consistent, starting at the end of September in each year of the study, while the start of egg laying in late winter was much more variable. Better knowledge of when to take management actions to reduce HWA will help preserve these important trees.
Read the Publication Summary »
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Photo: Lorraine Graney, Bartlett Tree Experts, Bugwood.org | |
Especially for Local Phenology Leaders | |
2023 PhenoChampions: Linda Loring Nature Foundation! | |
Linda Loring Nature Foundation is a non-profit land trust on Nantucket Island dedicated to research, stewardship, and education around native biodiversity. They have collected phenology data since 2014 on a diversity of species, including tracking changes in common, native shrubs that are signature species of the landscape. Linda Loring Nature Foundation is the USA-NPN 2023 Pheno Champion due to their consistent long-term phenology data collection, their dedication to teaching students about phenology, and their engagement of the public in learning about climate change impacts. Congratulations!
See all PhenoChampions »
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Learn from past PhenoChampions | |
Learn from the USA-NPN Pheno Champions in the recording of our Q&A Webinar from Phenology Week! These Local Phenology Programs were awarded the Pheno Champion award for their exemplary efforts to engage others in learning about phenology, collecting valuable data, and answering local science questions. Local Phenology Leaders from these Programs shared about their programs and answered questions about what makes their programs thrive.
Watch the webinar recording »
Watch other Phenology Week webinars »
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Phenology report inspiration from EwA | |
Earthwise Aware, a Nature conservation nonprofit in Massachusetts that has run a Local Phenology Program since 2018, has another information-rich annual report on their phenological findings. The StoryMap this year focuses on Eastern purple coneflower (Purpurea echinacea), one of our Nectar Connectors campaign species. This beautiful phenology digest provides ample inspiration for any other Programs considering an annual report!
Read the EwA Phenology Digest »
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Optimizing invasive plant management | |
Observations of non-native wild parsnip, Japanese knotweed, and bohemian knotweed can help managers to correctly time management activities aimed at controlling these species. We ran the Pesky Plant Trackers campaign in collaboration with University of Minnesota researchers from 2020-2022 to engage observers in collecting data on leafing, flowering, and fruiting of these invasive plants in the Midwest and Northeast. A new article describes the findings from this campaign.
Read the article »
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DOI Nature-based Solutions Roadmap | |
A new Department of the Interior (DOI) Nature-based Solutions Roadmap provides information about nature-based solutions that benefit both humans and nature while tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. These solutions include which strategies match certain conditions and goals, what co-benefits they are likely to provide, example projects, and additional resources for project planning, construction, and monitoring.
View the Roadmap »
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