March 16-20 is Phenology Week – a virtual celebration of the seasonal cycles of plants and animals. The purpose of Phenology Week is to celebrate you, our Nature's Notebook observers, Local Phenology Programs, and partners! We have a great week planned with virtual events each day. We would love to see you there!

Mon, Mar 16, 10am PT / 1pm ET: Watching plants, witnessing change

USA-NPN Director Theresa Crimmins will discuss patterns in data collected by dedicated observers. Register here

Tue, Mar 17, 1pm PT / 4pm ET: Phenology Wheels - Blending Art and Science

Create a circular calendar that displays your favorite plant and animal seasonal events. No artistry skills required! Register here

Wed, Mar 18, 3pm PT / 6pm ET: Keynote - A Life in Season

Author Mark Hineline will share phenological stories from his travels from coast to coast. Register here

Thu, Mar 19, 11am PT / 2pm ET: The New Nature's Notebook Mobile App

Come hear an update on our new Nature's Notebook app. Register here

Fri, Mar 20, 9am PT / 12pm ET: Researcher Q&A 

Spruce budworm and cottonwoods and redbuds, oh my! Learn what researchers are finding from your data. Register here

Learn more »

Sign up for Phenology Week emails »

We've rolled out new species for observing in 2026, including beaver and muskrat, Japanese beetle, and dozens of new wildflower and shrub species. You also may have noticed a few changes to protocols that we implemented late last week, including a name change for the phenophase "Increasing Leaf Size" and the removal of the intensity question for that phenophase, and an update to the seed cones phenophases for conifers to make it more consistent with how fruiting is reported in flowering plants.

Learn more about what changed »

We're still looking for Nature's Notebook observers who are willing to be interviewed by undergraduate students in a science writing course at UCLA. Each observer will participate in one interview in April, then have the chance to review their profile before it is finalized. We will feature the profiles in the USA-NPN website and in future newsletters.

Sign up »

To help us share more about what's changing in the new app, when it will be available, and when new features will be added, we've put together a page on our website. As we get closer to launch we will update this page with additional support materials including how-to documents and videos.

Learn more »

In 2025, 3,545 observers contributed a total of 3.8 million phenology records! Read the 2025 USA-NPN Annual Report for more highlights of phenology accomplishments made possible by our partners and observers, and a letter from USA-NPN Director, Theresa Crimmins.

Read the full 2025 USA-NPN Annual Report »

Global temperatures are increasing and the impacts are numerous and wide ranging. Temperatures have been rising at a particularly fast rate in the northeastern U.S., including many densely populated areas like New Jersey. To document environmental changes and better understand the impacts of climate change in this region since the mid-1960s, researchers gathered data on sea and air temperatures, lake ice, and snowfall. They complimented the weather data with observations of spring leaf-out and flowering in local lilac plants. The researchers found clear evidence of climate change, with notable increases in both daytime and nighttime temperatures and earlier spring plant activity. These changes will have numerous economic, social, and ecological impacts. Among other effects, earlier spring onset has the potential to alter plant-pollinator interactions and the length of the pollen and growing seasons. 

Read the Publication Summary » 

Thank you to all of our Local Phenology Leaders who completed their LPP Annual Survey this past winter! Our LPP 2025 Annual Survey summary highlights some of your accomplishments, including top reported outcomes and the impact you are seeing among your observers.

See the LPP Annual Survey Summary »

We're excited to launch our new Nature's Notebook Community Forum, which provides a platform to share resources, ask questions, and make connections with fellow observers. We have some great topics going including ideas for phenology book club, a phenology traveling trunk/education kit, and marking plants at your sites. There are also Regional Connections Forums to provide a space to connect with others in your area. You'll need to be logged in with your Nature's Notebook account to post and reply.

Explore the Forum »

It's a great time to put together an annual report to document your progress toward meeting your goals over the last year! We have several resources to assist you in creating an annual report, including:

• The Annual Phenology Report Guide walks through suggested components of an annual report. Pick and choose the sections that are most useful to you!
• Local Phenology Program Dashboards show you graphs of your observation quantity and observer activity
• Your Local Phenology Program Profile page (searchable from the LPP map) has additional resources; just look for the Data tab for a custom link into the Visualization Tool where you can visualize your LPPs phenology data

Looking for Annual Report inspiration? Check out some of our recent favorites!

• Ijams Phenology
• Salisbury University Phenology Project
• Barking Slopes Phenology

The Thermal Calendars tool indicates when thresholds of accumulated warmth are met each year in the northeastern U.S. Local management efforts can benefit from understanding when problematic insect pests are expected to reach life stages and use the Thermal Calendars to determine when they may cause the most damage or are most readily controlled. 

Learn more »

Our Director Theresa Crimmins will be joining Climate Central's Monthly Climate Brief on Thurs, March 19. They'll be talking about what is happening this spring and how you can get involved in tracking signs of the season.

Register »

Caterpillars Count! aims to better understand insect declines (and hence bird declines), shifts in seasonal insect activity, impacts of climate change and urbanization, and the importance of insect-host plant relationships. You can learn more about this program via training videos and upcoming webinars. They also have lesson plans and learning activities.

Learn more »

Have you joined us lately for a Nature's Notebook Nest? These calls are an opportunity to ask questions and chat with USA-NPN staff, fellow observers, and Local Phenology Leaders. The calls occur on the first Monday of the month at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. Mark your calendars, our next Nest is April 6! If you sign up for reminders we'll send you an email a few days before and then the morning of the call with the meeting link.

Sign up for reminders about the Nest »