Phenology (fi-NOL-uh-jee) is the study of seasonal changes in living things. Phenology looks at when events happen in nature, such as when plants leaf out, flowers bloom, birds migrate, or insects appear, and how those timings change over time.
These events are closely connected to temperature, daylight and weather patterns. Because climate conditions are changing, phenology has become especially important for scientists who want to understand how ecosystems are responding.
However, scientists can’t be everywhere at once, and that’s where citizen (or community) scientists come in.
Citizen science
Citizen science means that people, who aren’t professional scientists, help collect data for research projects. You don’t need special equipment or advanced training, just curiosity, careful observation and consistency.
Phenology is perfect for community science because:
- Observations are simple but powerful.
- Data can be collected over many years.
- Scientists need information from many locations.
When thousands of people record the same kinds of observations, patterns begin to emerge that no single researcher could see alone. By engaging community members, researchers can collect a larger amount of data, and often span more geographic regions, in a shorter amount of time.
Two popular websites for collecting and reporting data are Nature’s Notebook, usanpn.org, from the USA National Phenology Network, and BudBurst, budburst.org, from the Chicago Botanic Garden Regenstein School. Each of these sites will guide you in how to make observations and how to report your data…