We are thrilled to share that we recently received a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support our work supporting scientific discovery and people's understanding of climate change effects on species, ecosystems, and biodiversity. With these funds, we will grow engagement in phenology observing and analysis among younger audiences, especially in the K-12 space. We will also substantially strengthen and expand our resources and support for our Local Phenology Programs. And finally, we will undertake the critical task of reworking the infrastructure supporting our real-time phenology forecast products. We are extremely grateful for this support from the Foundation and are very excited by the improvements these funds will enable!

Learn more about the award »

We recently refreshed several of our phenology resources, including short videos, PowerPoint slide decks, and more. You are welcome to use these in your work!

Explore the resources »

We are excited to unveil a substantially improved learning website with a new look and more user-friendly functionality. The refreshed Observer Certification Course features the new suite of introductory videos on phenology. Users who complete the course earn a Certified Observer badge (visible on your Observation Deck in the Badges tab) and a status denoting their certified status in the USA-NPN database.



Explore the new Learning Site »

January 20-23 we will host our first ever Local Phenology Leader Virtual Conference! This online meeting will offer phenology leaders to connect with others, get updates about the new Nature’s Notebook mobile app, hear from other phenology researchers and educators, and more. You can attend as much or as little as you wish.



View the conference schedule »

Interested in a deeper dive into getting a long-term observation site with many observers (like students in a class) established? Our Local Phenology Leader Certification Course is an online and interactive 10-week course that walks you through the steps to plan and implement a long-term phenology program. Participants will work with a cohort of leaders across the country and with USA-NPN staff to gain the skills needed to develop a program plan, recruit volunteers, collect observations, visualize observation data, and collaborate with community partners. By the end of the course, participants will have in-depth knowledge about Nature's Notebook and USA-NPN tools as well as a completed program plan and three resources for recruiting, training, and retaining observers.

We typically offer this course in both spring and fall. Our next course will run from Jan 12 - Mar 20, 2026. We've extended the deadline a bit, so if you are interested, apply ASAP!



Learn more about the course »

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Results from many small-scale studies have shown that warming temperatures are causing plants to leaf-out and flower earlier than they have in the past. However, it has been difficult to know whether these patterns hold true for a wide variety of plant species at a continental scale. To answer this question, researchers used thousands of observations of plants in the eastern U.S. that were submitted to Nature’s Notebook, mainly by volunteers. They found that leaf-out and flowering occurred earlier with warmer temperatures, but the effects varied among species and locations. Invasive species, shrub species, and species at southern latitudes were more sensitive to warming temperatures than other species. These patterns were similar to results from analyses of data collected by professionals and consistent with results from previous scientific studies, demonstrating the value of Nature’s Notebook observations.

If your data were part of this study, you should have received a separate email from us late last year!

Read the Publication Summary »

For the sixth year in a row, researchers are hosting a competition to predict when cherry trees will flower in cities around the globe! Join the fun!

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 2026 International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition.”

Learn more »

Barbara Templ, Emma Izquierdo-Verdiguier, and Koen Hufkens are inviting contributions to a special topic in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. This Research Topic seeks to advance phenology research by exploring a diverse range of contributions. It aims to address underrepresented taxa and ecosystems, less studied phenophases and seasons, and the integration of multi-source data. To gather further insights into the ecological and societal consequences of phenological shifts, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Studies of underrepresented taxa (herbaceous plants, crops, grasses) and ecosystems (tropical, arid, urban, agricultural)
• Research on less studied phenophases and seasons, particularly autumn and reproductive stages
• Integration of multi-source data (field, remote sensing, phenocams, citizen science, experimental)
• Advances in modeling, scaling, and representing interacting environmental drivers
• Ecological and societal implications of phenological change, including mismatches and ecosystem feedback
• Innovations in data standards, infrastructures, and open science practices for phenology

Learn more »

You are invited to submit your abstract for the session “Plant and animal phenology under the pressure of climate change” at EGU2026, May 3-8, 2026. The session will be a hybrid event, enabling participation online or on-site in Vienna, Austria. Abstracts are due Jan 15, 2026.

Learn more »

The 24th International Congress of Biometeorology will be held at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences in Serbia in the summer of 2026. The Congress will be held from July 13th to 16th in 2026 using a hybrid format, which includes both onsite presentations/posters and online presentations. Abstracts are due Jan 31, 2026.

Learn more »