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Dear USA-NPN,
The calendar tells us that Spring will arrive next Thursday, March 20th, though for many of you I know your forecast is not looking very spring-like. I hope that at least the certainty that spring activity will eventually arrive provides a bit of light in these dark and chaotic times. In any event, we are celebrating all things phenology all of next week! I hope you will join us for Phenology Week webinars, daily challenges, and other celebrating of the spring season. More details on what's on the schedule below. Also, I hope you can find a bit of spring celebration in this wonderful article from the New York Times which highlights Nature's Notebook and the joy that comes from careful observations of nature.
Many of you have kindly 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. Please know that 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, 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.
We also want to take a moment to mourn the recent passing of Raúl Grijalva, who served as the United States Representative for Arizona's 7th Congressional District since 2003. Grijalva was a champion for the USA-NPN, creating the Dear Colleague letter that led to an appropriation from Congress to support the USA-NPN for the past two years. We are grateful for his belief in the importance of the work that we all do to document the timing of season cycles. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.
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What's new at Nature's Notebook and USA-NPN
| | Phenology Week is March 17-21 | |
Phenology Week is next week, Mar 17-21. The purpose of Phenology Week is to celebrate YOU, our Nature's Notebook observers, Local Phenology Programs, and partners! The week will include daily webinars and observation challenges.
Join us for one or all of our webinars:
Mon, Mar 17th: 1pm ET, 10am PT
Let's get you started with Nature's Notebook: Just getting started? We'll walk you through how to set up a site, add plants and animals, and enter your first observations in Nature's Notebook
Register »
Tues, Mar 18th: 4pm ET, 1pm PT
Nature's Notebook Campaign Convo: In this webinar we'll be joined by researchers whose work inspired three of our Nature's Notebook campaigns.
Register »
Wed, Mar 19th: 3pm ET, 12pm PT
Theresa's Plantside Chat: In this webinar, our Director Theresa Crimmins will share anecdotes and stories from her new book, Phenology.
Register »
Thurs, Mar 20th: 12pm ET, 9am PT
Create your own phenology calendar: Create a phenology calendar of either your own observations or observations collected by others in Nature's Notebook.
Register »
Fri, Mar 21st: 2pm ET, 11am PT
Researcher Q&A: We'll be joined by three researchers who have used Nature's Notebook data in the past year. Come with your questions!
Register »
Sign up for Phenology Week emails »
Download our Media Kit to share about Phenology Week »
| | | Are your phenology data up to date? | |
If you use the Nature's Notebook app, it's a good idea to periodically make sure that your data have successfully been uploaded to the USA-NPN's database.
How to do this? On your app, select Review from the top menu (you may need to scroll over to the right to see it). Then look for the Sync button at the bottom of the screen. Once your data have successfully synced you should see a green bar at the top of the screen that says User data are up to date.
Thank you for taking a few moments to ensure that the observations you collect so carefully are available for anyone who may want to use your data!
| | | 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, by our Director Theresa Crimmins, 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 »
| | | Phenophase Primer is here | |
The 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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Recent happenings in the field of phenology | | A more complete picture of the timing of spring | |
How early is spring this year and how does it compare to years past? We can answer this question using observations of plants and identifying the weather conditions that are needed for plants to leaf out and flower. For many years, the USA-NPN has shared maps, called the Spring Leaf Index and Spring Bloom Index, that show when weather conditions associated with events that signal the start of spring reached. However, an early start to spring does not necessarily mean that subsequent springtime events will also occur early.
A team of researchers used thousands of observations submitted to Nature’s Notebook to identify conditions associated with events that occur later in the spring. And soon, maps for a Late Bloom Index, that depict the timing of activity in the latest-blooming plants, will be added to the USA-NPN Status of Spring website. This new index, combined with the usual Spring Leaf and Spring Bloom Indices, will give us better understanding of how spring is progressing each year.
Read the Publication Summary »
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Black cherry, Prunus serotina, part of the Late Bloom Index,
Photo: Ellen G. Denny
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Especially for Local Phenology Leaders | | Save the date for a virtual LPL Conference | One of the top requests from our Local Phenology Leaders is more chances to interact with other Leaders about their Programs! To meet this need, we'll be hosting a multi-day virtual conference for Local Phenology Leaders the week of January 20-23, 2026! Save the date, and look for more updates and details soon. | | | Join the Nature's Notebook Nest April 7 | |
Our monthly Nature's Notebook Nest is a chance to bring your questions and observations and chat with USA-NPN staff and fellow observers and Local Phenology Leaders! Are you struggling with a technical issue or looking for new ideas on how to engage volunteers? Come to the Nest and get your questions answered! Next one is April 7th at 12pm PT / 3pm ET.
Sign up for Nest reminders »
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One of the webinars that our Local Phenology Leaders have requested this year is a highlight of phenology lesson plans and activity that have worked well in either formal or informal learning.
If you are an educator who has used one of our phenology lesson plans, we want to hear from you! Let us know which lesson plan or activity you used and how it worked for you. If you like, you can even be part of a webinar later this year where we highlight favorite lesson plans and activities.
Email Erin@usanpn.org »
| | | 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 »
| | | 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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