USA - National Phenology Network

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We promote a broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and its relationship with environmental change. Join us to document how things are changing!

The USA National Phenology Network brings together citizen scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators and students of all ages to monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals in the United States by encouraging them to observe phenological events like leaf out, flowering, migrations, and egg laying, and by providing a place for people to enter, store, and share their observations. The network harnesses the power of people and the Internet to collect and share information, providing researchers with far more data than they could collect alone. We also work with researchers to develop tools and techniques to use these observations to support a wide range of decisions made routinely by citizens, managers, scientists and others, including decisions related to allergies, wildfires, water, and conservation.

10/05/2026

Welcome to Desert Refuge! Let's take a look at what observers have started to report in southern Arizona!

Desert Refuge is a collaboration between the USA-NPN and Desert Botanical Garden to learn more about monarchs that spend the winter in Arizona. By tracking monarchs and milkweed, observers can help us learn more about this unique Arizona population!

Want to help track Arizona’s monarchs and milkweeds? Getting started is easy! Create a Nature’s Notebook account, complete the Observer Certification Course, and register a monitoring site with milkweed and/or monarchs. Then, visit your site at least once a week to record monarch and milkweed activity.

Slide 2 highlights a photo of what rush-desert milkweed, a species you can observe for this campaign, looks like.

Slide 3 highlights recent activity reported for young leaves in Rush-desert milkweed, Arizona milkweed, and Pineneedle milkweed.

Slide 4 highlights recent activity reported for open flowers in Rush-desert milkweed, Arizona milkweed, and Pineneedle milkweed.

Interested in getting involved? Learn more about the campaign and how to participate on our website: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/DesertRefuge

📸 Photo Credits
Slide 1: Rush-desert Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) by Corinne Schroeder via iNaturalist (CC-BY-NC) (cropped)

09/25/2026

As the Pollen Trackers campaign comes to a close for this year, let's take a look at what observers have reported across the U.S!

The Pollen Trackers Campaign explores the connection between flowering plants and airborne pollen. Researchers are studying how the timing of flowering is connected to pollen levels in the air, as well as how climate change may affect the timing, length, and severity of pollen seasons. Your observations collected as part of this campaign will help improve pollen forecasts and provide more timely information about allergy season.

Slide 2 shows a map of the day of the year when a first "yes" was reported for open flowers and pollen cones (star and diamond symbols) and pollen release (triangles for conifers and arrows for flowers). The color of the icon indicates the day that open flowers or pollen release was first reported at that site.

Slide 3 highlights activity curves for pollen release for the top 5 most observed genera over the past year in western states.

Slide 4 highlights activity curves for pollen release for the top 5 most observed genera over the past year in southern states.

Slide 5 highlights activity curves for pollen release for the top 5 most observed genera over the past year in midwest and northeastern states.

Slide 6 highlights the top Local Phenology Programs contributing observations to the campaign in 2026. Thank you all so much for your continued efforts and contributions!

Interested in getting involved? Learn more about the campaign and how to participate on our website: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/PollenTrackers

09/18/2026

As the Flowers for Bats campaign comes to a close for this year, let's take a look at what observers have reported across Southern Arizona!

Flowers for Bats is a Nature's Notebook campaign that tracks the flowering of plants used by nectar bats found in Arizona, including the lesser-long nosed bat. These bats need nectar from desert plants to survive. Your observations of cacti and agave help us understand where and when nectar is available for bats and how this timing is changing!

Slide 2 shows the locations of reports of open flowers in Saguaro and Palmer’s Century Plant across Southern Arizona.

Slide 3 shows an activity curve highlighting when Saguaro had open flowers.

Slide 4 shows an activity curve highlighting when Palmer's Century Plant had open flowers

Slide 5 shows the top 5 Local Phenology Programs that contributed to this campaign in 2026; thank you all so much for your efforts!

If you would like to get involved in this campaign, please visit our website:
usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/FlowersForBats

09/10/2026

Which oaks are fruiting this year? Let’s take a look at this year’s Quercus Quest observations!

The Quercus Quest Campaign explores how oak species interact with their environment and with the insects and fungi that depend on them. Researchers are studying how hybridization between closely related oak species helps them adapt to changing environments, and how climate influences the timing of important events like leaf-out and flowering. The observations collected through this campaign will help researchers better understand oak phenology and how these relationships may change with climate.

Slide 2 shows a map of where and when fruiting was observed on white oak, bur oak, and post oak across the U.S. this year.

Slide 3 highlights activity curves showing the timing of fruiting in the top oak species across the U.S.

Slide 4 highlights activity curves showing the timing of ripe fruits in the top oak species across the U.S.

Slide 5 highlights the top Local Phenology Programs contributing observations to the campaign in 2026. Thank you all so much for your continued efforts and contributions!

Interested in getting involved? Learn more about the campaign and how to participate on our website: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/QuercusQuest

09/03/2026

Let’s take a look at what observers have reported through the Green Wave Campaign!

We invite you to join us in tracking the “green wave,” the flush of new growth that accompanies leaf-out during spring, as well as the spread of seasonal color across the country during autumn. These observations are valuable because they help researchers and decision-makers better understand and predict seasonal changes in trees. The data can support forest management and public health efforts, including pollen forecasting, while also helping researchers understand how climate change may affect tree phenology.

Slide 2 shows a map of where and when young leaves were observed on maples, oaks, and cottonwoods across the U.S. this year.

Slide 3 highlights activity curves showing the timing of leaf growth in maples, oaks, and cottonwoods across the Western states.

Slide 4 takes a closer look at the three most frequently recorded species in the Western states: Vine maples, California live oaks, and Eastern cottonwoods.

Slide 5 highlights the top Local Phenology Programs contributing observations to the campaign in 2026. Thank you all so much for your continued efforts and contributions!

Interested in getting involved? Learn more about the campaign and how to participate on our website: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/Greenwave

08/20/2026

As we wrap up another year of observations, let’s take a look at what observers have reported through the Cloned and Native Flowering Dogwoods Campaign!

Your observations of dogwood life cycle events help build on decades of phenology records collected across the U.S. through the Cloned Plants Project. By comparing native and cloned flowering dogwoods, we can better understand how genetics and environmental conditions influence the timing of plant development. Observations of native and cloned trees at the same location are especially valuable, helping us tease apart these influences and better understand how plants respond to their environment.

Slide 2 shows a map of where and when native and cloned dogwoods flowered across the U.S. this year.

Slides 3 and 4 show activity curves highlighting the timing of flowering and leaf growth in dogwoods across the country. Data collection for this campaign began in 2019, so these slides compare seven years of campaign data. Overall, the patterns have remained consistent over time.

Slide 5 highlights the top Local Phenology Programs contributing to this campaign in 2026. Thank you all so much for your continued efforts and contributions!

Interested in getting involved? Learn more about the campaign and how to participate on our website: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/Dogwoods

07/31/2026

As flowers bloom across the country, let's take a look at what observers are reporting through the Nectar Connectors campaign!

Nectar Connectors is a Nature's Notebook campaign that tracks the flowering of plants used by monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Monarchs rely on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants to fuel their remarkable long-distance migration, while many other pollinators depend on these same species for food throughout the year. Your observations of these flowering plants help us understand where and when nectar is available for pollinators and how this timing is changing over time.

Slide 2 shows a map of the top 3 species currently flowering across the US. These species include Milkweeds, Beebalms and Purple Coneflowers.

Slides 3 and 4 show activity curves highlighting flower presence in the Midwest, Northwest, and Northeast. We are currently seeing a rise in flowering activity, so keep an eye out for these when making observations!

Slide 5 shows the top Local Phenology Programs currently contributing to this campaign in 2026; thank you all so much for your efforts!

If you would like to get involved in this campaign, please visit our website:
https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/NectarConnectors

06/30/2026

🌿 Interested in leading a long-term Nature's Notebook program in your community?

The Local Phenology Leader Certification Course returns this fall! Over 10 weeks, participants work alongside USA-NPN staff, experienced Local Phenology Leaders, and peers from across the country to develop the skills needed to create and sustain a successful phenology monitoring program.

As a participant, you'll:
• Develop a customized program and sustainability plan
• Learn strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers
• Gain experience summarizing and visualizing observation data
• Access exclusive resources, consultations, and live virtual sessions
• Join a growing network of Certified Local Phenology Leaders

Past participants say the course helped them save years of trial and error, build stronger programs, and connect with inspiring community leaders.

Applications open July 20. We hope you'll join us!

To learn more about the course, please visit: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/LPLCertification

06/25/2026

We're excited to share a sneak peek at our NEW Nature's Notebook logo! We'll be updating to this new logo once our new Nature's Notebook app is out this summer. The logo was created by the designer of our new app, Kim Daly.

Keep this change in mind if you're creating and printing materials! We will make a full suite of logos available for your use upon release of the new app. For more updates on the new Nature's Notebook app, visit https://usanpn.org/nn/NewApp

06/18/2026

We love our monarchs! Check out their Arizona activity from this season's Desert Refuge campaign 🐛

First, we want to thank the amazing Local Phenology Programs and backyard observers that contributed to this year's campaign. Data collected by volunteers are so important in the effort to conserve monarchs, and we appreciate all of your observations!

Because Phoenix and Tucson often see differences in terms of monarch observations, we've split them up to see what observers in each area observed this year. Phoenix observers saw a peak in caterpillars from November to December, followed by another peak from April to May. Adults were observed from November till May. Tucson observers began seeing caterpillars later than Phoenix in early December, but saw more adults and caterpillars in 2026 than Phoenix observers. Tucson also began reporting adults earlier than Phoenix, with reports starting in mid September.

Monarch activity has also shifted over the years of the Desert Refuge campaign. Adult monarchs were reported earlier this year than they were last year, while fewer caterpillars were observed during the winter compared to previous years. We know these differences are not the result of a reduced reporting effort because observers record both monarch sightings and the absence of monarch activity.

If you would like to get involved in this campaign in the future, please visit our website:

https://www.usanpn.org/nn/campaigns/DesertRefuge

📸 Photo Credits:
Slide 1: Dulcey Lima via SmugMug (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (cropped)

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1311 E 4th Street
Tucson, AZ
85721

Website

http://www.usanpn.org/, https://uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72FTNfSiCCviRPo

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