SHR Begins Phenology Monitoring
In its simplest terms, phenology is collecting scientific data about the world around us and how it changes on a day-to-day basis.
Phenology can detect the pulse of the planet by measuring the pace of nature's clock. By recording data about the timing of natural events on a consistent and long-term basis, it is possible to accumulate information that will be valuable to researchers in the future regarding climate change.
SHR will record data regarding the timing of budburst, leaf elongation, flowering stages, fruiting stages, leaf coloration and leaf drop.
To read the entire article about phenology monitoring, click here. In this article you will find out how plants, mammals and insects depend on each other for survival and how the timing of their life-cycle events can determine their continued existence.
Phenology can also be a fun way for young people to gain a better understanding about the world they live in.
- To download 'The Phenology Handbook', an easy to read PDF from the University of California at Santa Barbara, click here. (This file may take several minutes to download).
- To visit the USA National Phenology Network, click here.
- Project Budburst is the citizen-scientist arm of the National Phenology Network. Established to provide tools for individuals to collect phenology data and contribute their data to a national database, Budburst is the place for students and nature enthusiasts to begin phenology monitoring. Click here to visit the Project Budburst website.
- To download a copy of the SHR phenology monitoring form, click here.