firstleaves

The National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) launched this week as a means to harness observations from citizens. Phenology is the study of seasonal plant and animal events, or phenophases, such as bulbs emerging in Spring or the drop of leaves in the Fall. These events are closely tied to weather, and can be harbingers of climate change.

USA-NPN is a non-profit organization that’s sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation and others. The site encourages you to become a USA-NPN observer, to help scientists identify and understand environmental trends so we can better adapt to climate change. The effort will begin by tracking 200 plant species across the United States, and will work toward adding animal observations and other physical seasonal changes such as ice on ponds and rivers.

The site is looking for current recordings, but also would like to have any archived data that you might have. Perhaps your ancestors kept detailed records about their farm land or garden growing cycles. This rich data with both a spatial and temporal component will allow scientists to do some in-depth analysis about the constant changes on our planet.

I’ve long been fascinated with these seasonal cycles, and have asked my kids to keep a look out for seasonal changes. We’ve documented when the swallows leave their mud homes under the bridge near our house, and when they return in the Spring. We’ve looked at when our bulbs emerge and our trees leaf out. And we like to compare how the seasonal changes in the mountains are at least a few weeks behind our home on the Front Range.

This is a great way to engage your kids as observers of the natural world. It seems like a logical fit for schools or service groups to make a closer connection to the natural world around them.

Visit the site here, and sign up to input your own data if you’re so inclined.

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