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Dear USA-NPN,
I hope this message finds you well, these last several weeks have been a real challenge for pretty much everyone. I hope you can find some solace and joy in the fresh (or soon to be appearing) signs of spring.
To that end, we have many ways to distract you from the news and think about spring and phenology. First off, next week we will be celebrating Phenology Week! Be sure to sign up for Phenology Week emails about the various happenings all week - more on this below.
Second, there are not one, but two books focused on the topic of phenology fresh off the press! See below for ordering information and discount opportunities. And there's more: don't miss the brand-new Phenophase Primer for Flowering Plants. This reference is truly incredible. Nearly 300 pages of full-color photos of plants in their various states of glory, a true labor of love started by our former teammate, Patty Guertin, and brought across the line by veteran USA-NPN team member, Ellen Denny. It is a genuine treat for the eyes.
Many of you have expressed concern about the funding situation at the USA-NPN, given the recent and rapid changes implemented by the current presidential administration. Since its establishment, the USA-NPN has been supported through various forms of federal support, including federal appropriations, agreements, and grants from the National Science Foundation, US Geological Survey, and agencies under DOI and USDA. As such, the long-term continuance of the program is vulnerable. We are doing everything we can to keep Nature's Notebook running and support our observers and partners and will continue to keep you abreast of any changes in our operations. To that end, for the first time ever, I invite you to consider making a donation today through the University of Arizona Foundation or contact Alex Strong at amstrong@arizona.edu if you'd like to support the work of the USA-NPN financially.
As always, thanks for your continued support and engagement. I hope you find solace and restoration in this season of newness.
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What's new at the USA National Phenology Network | |
Phenology Week is coming: Mar 17-21! | |
This year's Phenology Week virtual celebration of the seasonal cycles of plants and animals will take place Mar 17-21. The purpose of Phenology Week is to celebrate YOU, our Nature's Notebook observers, Local Phenology Programs, and partners! We'll have webinars, awards, daily challenges, observer stories, and more.
We have a webinar scheduled for each day of Phenology Week, a Q&A with researchers who have used your data in the past year, and a conversation with the researchers behind some of our Nature's Notebook campaigns.
Sign up for Phenology Week emails »
See what's on the schedule »
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AI for Climate Action collaboration | |
The USA-NPN was selected as a participant in the Global AI Alliance for Climate Action initiative partnership between Vector Institute and Başlangıç Noktası | Be Node. We will work closely with AI researchers affiliated with Vector Institute to better understand the phenology data contributed to date to Nature's Notebook and how we might direct future data collection for maximum insight and impact.
Learn more »
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Phenology is available now! | |
Looking for a basic primer on the topic of phenology, for use in your classes, or even to simply better explain to your friends and loved ones what the term means? We've got you covered! Phenology, a part of the MIT Press's Essential Knowledge book series, provides a simple and comprehensive overview of the topic. It's available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, and more. Use code READMIT20 for 20% off orders through Penguin Random House with a US mailing address.
Learn more »
Read an excerpt »
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Shape the new Nature's Notebook app! | |
Work is going full steam ahead on developing the new and improved Nature's Notebook app! We are working hard to ensure that the new app is inviting, engaging, and accessible to everyone who wants to connect with nature's rhythms and document phenological changes. We invite you to join our Participant Pool, where we will send progress notes and ask for your feedback to ensure that we are creating the best user experience to suit your needs. All members of the participant pool will even earn an exclusive badge when the new app releases!
Learn more and join »
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Phenophase Primer is available! | |
The long, long wait is over... the USA-NPN's Phenophase Primer is live! This extraordinary 240-page resource will address all of your questions regarding the nuance of phenophase status in plants. It is also a wonderful feast for the eyes, revealing incredible details in the seasonal events occurring quietly among our plant friends.
Download a copy of the Primer »
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Phenology: An Integrative Environmental Science, 3rd edition published | |
The 3rd edition of Phenology: An Integrated Environmental Science, edited by Mark D. Schwartz, is now available. With updated and new contributions from over sixty phenological experts, covering data collection, current research, methods, and applications, it demonstrates the accomplishments, progress over the last decade, and future potential of phenology as an integrative environmental science.
Read the book »
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Another great phenology-themed higher education resource | |
A new undergraduate education resource has been posted to the QUBES resource. The module stimulates critical thinking about advantages and drawbacks of citizen science datasets while learning about phenology changes. Students investigate pairs of species on three different on-line platforms: Nature's Notebook, iNaturalist, and SEINet.
Explore the resource »
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Are plant and animal species responding differently to climate change? | |
The advance in the timing of spring events is well documented in scientific research. However, changes have not been the same for all species and can even differ among populations of the same species in distinct locations. A team of researchers compiled an extensive dataset of phenology observations from the published literature and from phenology networks including USA-NPN. They estimated whether the average date that a life cycle stage occurs has shifted since 1980, assessed the extent to which those shifts were driven by changes in temperature or precipitation, and explored whether climate change was increasing the likelihood of phenological mismatches for species that occur in the same location.
The authors found that for plants, spring and summer events like leaf out, flowering, and fruiting are occurring earlier than they did 40 years ago, with later stages like flowering and fruit ripening advancing faster than earlier stages. Climate had much weaker effects on the timing of animal activity, which has implications for mismatches in the timing of plants and animals that rely on synchronization of their life cycle stages.
Read the Publication Summary
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Snowmelt cues caribou migration | |
Lots of mystery surrounds the migration of majestic caribou from northern Canada to the Arctic tundra. New research suggests that snowmelt is an important cue for when to move. This information can help researchers understand the impact that changing snowpack and snowmelt may have on caribou movements and populations.
Learn more »
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Wisdom, age 74, rears another chick | |
Wisdom the albatross laid another egg this season on Midway Atoll NWR. At 74, she is the oldest known bird to lay an egg! Biologists at the refuge believe she has fledged as many as 30 chicks in her lifetime. Congratulations, Wisdom!
Learn more »
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Pheno 2025: Coming to Brazil in July | |
The Phenology 2025 represents a crucial gathering for scientists, researchers, students, technicians and policymakers from all around the world dedicated to understanding the impacts of climate change on ecosystems through the lens of phenology. Pheno2025: Towards a Global Phenology Science will take place in Sao Pedro, Brazil July 28-Aug 1.
Learn more »
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Join us at Botany 2025 this July! | |
Share your most recent phenology-related findings at the Botany 2025 meeting this July in Palm Springs, CA! Drs. Daijiang Li, Robert Guralnick, and I are co-organizing a session on phenology titled "Common gardens in the 21st Century: the intersection between evolution and ecology, science and management." Abstracts are due Apr 14.
Learn more »
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Predict when the cherry trees will flower! | |
Interested in forecasting when cherry trees will flower in cities around the globe? Join a forecasting competition!
Contestants will compete to predict when the cherry trees will bloom in Washington, D.C. and other cities across the globe. The competition builds on the popularity of cherry trees to raise awareness of the impact of climate change and get students and citizen scientists excited about using statistics to solve an important phenological problem.
This year, you will not only compete against each other for the top prizes—but against artificial intelligence. All human participants that beat the AI-generated predictions will receive commemorative memorabilia indicating they “beat the bot in the 2025 International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition.”
Learn more »
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Special issue in Discover Ecology: plant phenology in an era of rapid change | |
I'm excited to be co-editing a special issue in the journal Discover Ecology with Drs. Robert Guralnick and Daijiang Li focused on phenology. The papers in this topical collection will feature novel research representing new perspectives and frontiers in plant phenology, sparking discussions on how to advance the field. We would love to include your work! Presenters at Botany 2025, this would be an ideal outlet to further share your work!
Learn more »
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Special issue in Forests: vegetation and remote sensing | |
Several phenology colleagues are coordinating a special issue in the journal Forests focused on patterns and dynamics of vegetation growth, leaf emergence and senescence in deciduous forests as well as implications for ecosystem management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Submission deadline: Oct 31, 2025.
Learn more »
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Special issue in Scientific Data: phenology and species distributions | |
The journal Scientific Data has an open call for papers to a special collection on the topic of Phenology and species distributions, guest edited by Desire Dalton, Xiaolei Huang & Le Yu. This collection welcomes submissions of Data Descriptors, which are articles describing repository datasets shared without results or conclusions. Submission deadline: Aug 14, 2025.
Learn more »
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Theresa Crimmins
Director
520-621-8523
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