News & Publications

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Weather impacts autumn phenology differently in the eastern and western U.S.

Mon, May 04, 2026
Publication Summary

The timing of phenological events in autumn like leaf color and leaf fall have important consequences for nutrient cycling, species interactions, and even tourism. However, there has been less research on autumn phenology than spring phenology and the effects of temperature, precipitation, and day length are not well understood. To fill this gap, researchers used Nature’s Notebook observations of autumn phenology from woody plant species across the U.S. They found strong regional differences. Leaf color in the eastern U.S. was driven primary by summer temperatures, whereas in the western U.S., leaf color change was influenced more strongly by precipitation that occurred more than six months prior. Given these differences, the effects of climate change are likely to be complex. Increased temperatures may extend the growing season for some plants and increased drought may shorten the growing season for others.

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Late Bloom Index is live!

Fri, Apr 17, 2026
Seasonal Story

We are excited to unveil another new index of spring – the Late Bloom Index! The Late Bloom Index indicates when plants that bloom at the tail end of the season are flowering, effectively representing the end of the spring season.

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Student Spotlight: Chuck Haight

Tue, Mar 10, 2026
Observer Stories

Students in Dr. Ava Goodale’s Environmental Science Research Course at Deerfield Academy collect environmental data as volunteer scientists, analyze those data in a technical report, and create an interpretive writing piece that tells a story about their experience. The students featured in this series participated in Nature’s Notebook campaigns and were kind enough to share their writing with us.

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Student Spotlight: Henry Cron

Tue, Mar 10, 2026
Observer Stories

Students in Dr. Ava Goodale’s Environmental Science Research Course at Deerfield Academy collect environmental data as volunteer scientists, analyze those data in a technical report, and create an interpretive writing piece that tells a story about their experience. The students featured in this series participated in Nature’s Notebook campaigns and were kind enough to share their writing with us.

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Student Spotlight: Eleanor duPont

Tue, Mar 10, 2026
Observer Stories

Students in Dr. Ava Goodale’s Environmental Science Research Course at Deerfield Academy collect environmental data as volunteer scientists, analyze those data in a technical report, and create an interpretive writing piece that tells a story about their experience. The students featured in this series participated in Nature’s Notebook campaigns and were kind enough to share their writing with us.

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Introducing the Thermal Calendars tool

Mon, Mar 09, 2026
News

Temperature is an important factor governing when seasonal events happen in many plant and animal species. For many species, events like leaf-out, flowering, and egg hatch are triggered when a specific amount of heat has accumulated since the start of the year. We typically measure accumulated heat in growing degree days (GDDs). The Thermal Calendars tool indicates when particular GDD levels (or thresholds) of accumulated warmth are met each year in the northeastern U.S. Local resource managers can use the tool to determine when problematic insect pests are expected to enter particular life stages when they may cause the most damage or are most readily controlled.

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Nature’s Notebook observations reveal clear changes in New Jersey

Mon, Mar 09, 2026
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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.

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Phenology Week! March 16-20, 2026

Tue, Feb 03, 2026
News

March 16-20, 2026 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'll have webinars, awards, daily challenges, observer stories, and more.

We want to hear from you! What did you enjoy about Phenology Week this year, what could be improved, what do you want to see next year? 

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