Your observations of the native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) can enhance the phenology observations of cloned dogwoods that are being collected across the United States. Comparing the phenology of these species with that of cloned plants enhances our understanding of genetic and environmental influences on the plants. Observations of the common and cloned species at the same location are especially valuable for untangling these mysteries. See what volunteers' observations of flowering dogwoods are revealing.

Tracking a native dogwood is easy - you can observe a plant that is already thriving in your yard.

How to participate...

1. Select your plants. Identify one or more native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) plants at your site.

2. Join Nature's Notebook. If you haven't already, create a Nature's Notebook account. See our specifics of observing if you need more details on getting started.

3. Sign up to receive our flowering dogwood campaign messaging (in the right sidebar of this page - you may need to scroll back up to see it). You will receive messages approximately every 4-6 weeks during the growing season, providing early results, encouragement, observation tips, interesting links, and campaign-specific opportunities. Don't miss out!

4. Observe your plant(s). Report what you see (yes/no/not sure) on your plant periodically following the instructions for flowering dogwoods. We encourage you to observe your plant(s) 2-4 times a week, especially in the spring, when things are changing rapidly. However, we welcome any observations you can contribute.

We are especially interested in the following phenophases, although you are welcome to track all of the phenophases for this species. We have also included some photos to help you identify some of the more tricky phenophases:

Phenophase	Definition	Photo (Click to enlarge)
Breaking leaf buds	One or more breaking leaf buds are visible on the plant. A leaf bud is considered "breaking" once a green leaf tip is visible at the end of the bud, but before the first leaf from the bud has unfolded to expose the leaf stalk (petiole) or leaf base.
Leaves	One or more live, unfolded leaves are visible on the plant. A leaf is considered "unfolded" once its entire length has emerged from the breaking bud so that the leaf stalk (petiole) or leaf base is visible at its point of attachment to the stem. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves.
Increasing leaf size	A majority of leaves on the plant have not yet reached their full size and are still growing larger. Do not include new leaves that continue to emerge at the ends of elongating stems throughout the growing season.
Flower buds	One or more fresh open or unopened flowers or flower buds are visible on the plant. Include flower buds that are still developing, but do not include wilted or dried flowers. As soon as the overwintering flower buds begin to swell, you can start reporting "yes" to flowers or flower buds.
Open flowers	One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers. For Cornus florida, ignore the four large, white bracts and watch for the opening of the small flowers in the center of the bracts'. Remember, you should continue to report "yes" to flowers or flower buds (above) when you report "yes" to open flowers.

How do I tell a leaf bud from a flower bud? Leaf buds (left photo) and flower buds (right photo) can be tricky to identify. If you think you have misidentified a flower or leaf bud, you can correct your submitted observations. Learn more here. Also, remember that the "flowers" you are looking for are actually the small yellow/green flowers inside the large white bracts. In dogwoods, flower buds generally start to open before leaf buds.

5. Report your observations. Periodically log into your Nature's Notebook account and transfer your observations from your paper data sheet into the online reporting system. Alternatively, you can enter your observations directly using our Android or iPhone smartphone and tablet apps.

2017 Results from the flowering dogwood campaign

The spring of 2017 was another abnormally warm year across much of the country (NOAA, climate.gov). The Southeastern part of the US, in particular, was much warmer than average conditions. 

How did dogwoods respond, and was it different from last year? Phenology calendars can provide a picture of when phenophases were reported over the year. Colored bars on the phenology calendars below indicate that an observer reported "yes" for breaking leaf buds and open flowers, while gray bars indicate an observer reported "no." 

The majority of reports of breaking leaf buds tended to be earlier in 2017 than in 2016 for native flowering dogwood. 

If we look more closely at the proportion of dogwoods for which a "yes" was recorded for breaking leaf buds, we can see that the peak in the proportion of plants was several weeks earlier in 2017 than in 2016.

We see a similar pattern for open flowers, with reports tending to be slightly earlier in 2017 than in 2016.

Looking at the proportion of individual dogwoods with a "yes" report for open flowers, the peak in the proportion occurred at about the same time in 2017 as in 2016. There was more variation in 2017 than in 2016 in the early part of the year, with reports of open flower flowers in January and February.