Do you use the Nature's Notebook mobile app to make your phenology observations? We want to hear from you! We are planning a large-scale improvement to the app, and we want to hear what you like about the current app, and more importantly, what you don't! Please fill out our short survey, it should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback will help guide the new app, so don't miss out on this chance to make your opinion heard.

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Are you going to the Ecological Society of America meeting next month? USA-NPN Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Samantha Brewer will be in attendance and would love to meet up with you! Check out her poster, Citizen Science, Phenology, and Lessons in Long-term Data Collection: Individual Observers versus Local Phenology Program Members on August 9th from 5-6:30pm PT. Samantha will also be part of a workshop with program leaders from iNaturalist and Budburst, Generating and Using Community Science Phenology Data, on August 9th from 11:45am-1:15pm PT.

Explore the full ESA program »

We have three new undergraduate students at the USA-NPN this summer who are working on some great projects!

Yash Sihag is an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona double-majoring in Computer Science and Statistics and Data Science with a minor in Information Science. He is an international student from India. Yash is working closely with Ellen Denny, the USA-NPN Monitoring Design & Data Coordinator, on a project to complete the Phenophase Primer, a detailed guide to the phenophases that are part of Nature's Notebook.

Emily Tran is an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona majoring in Environmental Engineering. Emily's project will summarize and analyze data on nectar sources used by the migratory lesser long-nosed bat in support of our U.S. Fish and Wildlife partnership. Emily will explore historical and contemporary data on flowering of columnar cacti and agave across Southern Arizona and compare the timing of flowering to the timing of bat presence.

Travis Matlock is an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona majoring in astronomy with minors in planetary sciences, physics, and mathematics. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he developed an affinity for the natural world at a young age. He is interning at USA- NPN via the TIMESTEP program, and his work includes data analysis and other programming needs.

See all students and staff »

Since the USA-NPN phenology monitoring protocols were published (Denny et al. 2014), we have made refinements to reduce confusion in the phenophase definitions, added new taxonomic groups, and expanded protocols to more fully capture certain life cycle stages. In a new publication, we describe changes that have been made to the original protocols. Going forward, the current version of the protocols will be maintained in the University of Arizona Research Data Repository.

Read the updated protocols publication »

Director Theresa Crimmins will be part of a webinar on August 21st hosted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. This is the third of three public information-gathering sessions exploring how biological research at multiple scales can inform the development of a continental-scale biology. This session will focus on data collection, collective engagement and involvement, and innovative tools and techniques to aid in the advancement and understanding of continental-scale biology. This event will provide a platform for creative collaboration among experts from multiple fields, organizations, and sectors.

Learn more and register »

Pollen alerts give allergy sufferers the potential to reduce their exposure and the negative health impacts that result. An emerging data source for alerts is observations of flowering phenology, which can be highly correlated with the presence of airborne pollen. The authors compared data from National Allergy Bureau stations on daily pollen concentrations to flowering and pollen cone data from Nature’s Notebook. They found that the strength of the relationship between open flowers and pollen cones and pollen concentration varied by the type of plant, with the best agreement for Oaks (Quercus) and walnuts (Juglans). More specific data on the timing of open flowers and pollen release, like those that you collect in Nature’s Notebook, could lead to create real-time pollen alerts with local specificity.

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We're often asked by observers and Local Phenology Programs, can I see evidence of climate change in my data? Detecting trends in earlier flowering or later bird migration often requires long-term data on the scale of decades. However, digitization of herbarium records and museum collections are providing a depth of data that can be used to make comparisons to data collected today. A new commentary in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment outlines the benefit of this new data source.

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If you need more help getting your Local Phenology Program up and running, look no further than our Local Phenology Leader Certification Course! The course will walk you through how to create a long-term program plan, explain how to use the Nature's Notebook LPP tools and resources, and provide tips on volunteer recruitment, annual report writing, and more! Plus you'll be in a cohort with 20 other leaders with plenty of opportunities to share ideas and resources. The 10-week course takes between 6-8 hours a week, costs $55 to cover materials costs, and start at the end of September. Sign up on the interest list and you'll be the first to hear when applications open at the end of August.

Learn more about the Course »

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Looking for ideas for a website to describe your Local Phenology Program? Check out this lovely one from Green Mountain Audubon Center in Vermont. They include info on why they are tracking phenology, which species, and how new participants can get involved.

See Green Mountain Audubon Center's website »

Each summer along the Mississippi River, mayflies emerge in swarms that can number in the millions. Emergences are a good thing - they provide an indicator about the health of the river - but they can also cause inconveniences and even road hazards when they congregate near lights on roads and bridges. Our Mayfly Watch campaign seeks to document mayfly emergences each summer. Learn more about mayfiles and how you can get involved in this great article by Madeline Heim in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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According to recent research published in People and Nature, taking part in data collection in nature can boost your well being. The researchers studied 500 people across the UK who were tasked with 10 minute nature surveys and found that well being scores increased after the survey for all participants. Participants also reported they were more likely to adopt pro-nature behaviors like putting pollinator plants in their garden or making shelters for wildlife.

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