Nature's Notebook at the New York Botanical Garden: The power of citizen science in local and national discoveries Alyssa Rosemartin & Team USA National Phenology Network National Coordinating Office Tucson, Arizona

Why does phenology matter? What have data from the NYBG shown so far? How do you get started in Nature’s Notebook? How do you judge some of the trickier phenophases? Question and answer session Overview

Photo credit: L. Barnett

Photo credit: P. Warren

Observing change over time I observed an unusual circumstance this spring on the foothill of Moscow Mountain, northern Idaho, elev. 3000‘. I have been monitoring the arrival of hummers for many years here--they range in arrival from early to late April. Usually the Calliope is first, followed by the Rufous. Over the last few years, the Rufous have been either arriving at the same time or before the Calliope. This year the two were nearly simultaneous on Apr. 23. About a week later I spotted the Black Chinned--usually not often seen, and never before late June/July (followed in late summer by the Broadtailed).

Structuring observations April 23, 2012

Comparing regionally

What is phenology? The science of the seasons Blooms and buds Hibernation, migration, emergence Easy to observe Photo credit: L. Barnett …it is the study of recurring plant and animal life-cycle stages, or phenophases, and their relationship to environmental conditions. Photo credit: P. Warren

Invasions Allergies Pests & Diseases Wildfires Flu season Agriculture Festivals Ecotourism Slide courtesy of S. Mazer Why do we care about phenology?

A multi-taxa, national-scale Plant and animal phenology observation program Standardized protocols Web and mobile apps for data entry Data download and visualization 3,000 observers reporting on 650 plant and 250 animal species Nature’s Notebook is for scientists, naturalists, volunteers, land managers, park rangers, and YOU! Photo credit: L. Barnett Nature’s Notebook

Why does phenology matter? What have data from the NYBG shown so far? How do you get started in Nature’s Notebook? How do you judge some of the trickier phenophases? Question and answer session Overview

~200,000 records were collected from : 31 Species of trees 3 Trails 123 Individual trees Top contributors were: 1. D. Gregg 2. S. Zucker-Scharff 3. T. Zucker-Scharff Summary of NYBG forest dataset

Duration of leafing and flowering 2013 at the NYBG Forest Jan 1 Feb 19 Apr 10 May 30 Jul 19 Sep 7 Oct 27 Dec 16 Open flowers Emerging leaves

Duration of flowering across years and species at the NYBG Forest Jan 1 Feb 19 Apr 10 May 30 Jul 19 Sep 7 Oct 27 Dec 16

How does the forest compare to rest of the northeast? Jan 20 Feb 9 Mar 1 Mar 21 Apr 10 Apr 30 May 20 Jan 20 Feb 9 Mar 1 Mar 21 Apr 10 Apr 30 May 20 Onset of Emerging Leaves in 9 Deciduous Tree Species

Feb 19 Apr 10 May 30 Jul 19 Sep 7 Oct 27 Dec 16 Feb 19 Apr 10 May 30 Jul 19 Sep 7 Oct 27 Dec 16 How does the forest compare to rest of the northeast? Onset of Colored Leaves in 9 Deciduous Tree Species

2012: Onset of Open Flowers Prediction for Baccharis pilularis : Warmer temperatures should result in delayed flowering. R 2 = 0.67 y = 4.77x p < N=18 sites Species: Baccharis pilularis (Coyotebrush) Site means reported from sites across California : GOGA-(15 sites), REDW-(5 sites), SAMO-(8 sites) Climate data obtained from PRISM website: prismmap.nacse.org/nn/ Slide courtesy of Susan Mazer Meanwhile in California: Relationship between temperature and flowering

Jeong et al., GRL 2013 Red maple (A. rubrum) A. rubrum, Making predictions

What about this spring?

Why does phenology matter? What have data from the NYBG shown so far? How do you get started in Nature’s Notebook? How do you judge some of the trickier phenophases? Question and answer session Overview

Getting started in Nature’s Notebook

Getting started in Nature’s Notebook

Free for Android and iPhone devices Works without internet/data coverage Nature’s Notebook mobile apps

Map, animate and graph data

Why does phenology matter? What have data from the NYBG shown so far? How do you get started in Nature’s Notebook? How do you judge some of the trickier phenophases? Question and answer session Overview

1.Leaves 2.Flowers 3.Fruits 4.A bit about phenophase intensity  The definitions were written to be taken literally. Tricky phenophases

Deciduous tree phenophases Breaking leaf buds Leaves Increasing leaf size Colored leaves Flowers or Flower Buds Open Flowers FruitsRipe Fruits

Do you see… breaking leaf buds? Formerly known as “Emerging Leaves” 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. No Yes No Leaf stalk or petiole is visible. Photos: Ellen Denny

Emerging Leaf Duration – Jan 1 Feb 19 Apr 10 May 30 Jul 19 Sep 7 Oct 27 Dec 16 Emerging Leaf Duration in NYBG Forest

Do you see… leaves? No – don’t count leaves as either leaves or colored leaves after they have lost all their pigments, nutrients and chlorophyll. 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.

Do you see… colored leaves? Yes … and it doesn’t matter why summer drought …. Insect damage or other stresses One or more leaves have turned to their late-season colors. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves that remain on the plant.

Do you see… colored leaves? Yes, and -  > 5% of leaves colored Or,  Add a comment (for example “just a few leaves, due to stress”) One or more leaves have turned to their late-season colors. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves that remain on the plant.

Do you see… flowers or 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. No Yes Photos: Ellen Denny

Do you see… flowers or 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. No Yes Photos: Ellen Denny

Do you see… fruit? One or more fruits are visible on the plant.

Do you see… ripe fruit? One or more fruits are visible on the plant.

Do you see… fruit? One or more fruits are visible on the plant. Fruit: For Acer rubrum, the fruit is two joined seeds in a "V" shape, each seed having a wing, that changes from green or red to tan or brownish and drops from the plant‘ Ripe Fruit: or Acer rubrum, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned tan or brownish and readily drops from the plant when touched Yes for fruit No for ripe fruit

Do you see… fruit? One or more fruits are visible on the plant. Fruit: For Quercus rubra, the fruit is a nut (acorn), partially covered with a "cap", that changes from green to green-brown to brown, red brown or dark brown‘ Ripe Fruit - For Quercus rubra, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned brown, red brown or dark brown' Yes for fruit No for ripe fruit

Do you see… fruit? One or more fruits are visible on the plant. Fruit: For Prunus serotina, the fruit is a small, fleshy "cherry" that changes from green to purple-black or black' Ripe fruit: For Prunus serotina, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned purple-black or black' Yes for fruit Yes for ripe fruit

Do you see… fruit? One or more fruits are visible on the plant. Yes, for fruit Or ?, if the fruit is small, hard to tell

No, fruit or ripe fruit Do you see… fruit or ripe fruit? Yes, fruit and ripe fruit Photos: Ellen Denny

Do you see… recent fruit drop? Yes, if a lot of unripe fruit from your last visit appears to have ripened and fallen. Yes, if a storm seems to have brought a lot of ripe fruit down. ?, if you cannot determine if the fruit is old or recent.

What is intensity? Less than 5% 95% or more 5-24%25-49% 50-74% 75-94% How many buds are breaking? Less than 3 3 to to to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 More than 10,000 What percentage of the canopy is full with leaves? If you answer “Yes” or “Uncertain” to a phenophase – you may be asked an additional question about the degree to which the phenophase is expressed, for example:

What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? Photo: Anette Schloss Start with a bare tree… no leaves

What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? Imagine it fully leafed out…

* Ignore dead branches in your estimate. Photo: Anette Schloss What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? Less than 5%

5-24% What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? Photo: Anette Schloss

What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? 25-49%

What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? 50-74%

Photo: Anette Schloss What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? 75-94%

What percent of the canopy is full with leaves? 95% or more Photo: Anette Schloss

Leaves: 25-49% Colored leaves: 25-49% Leaves: 95% or more Colored leaves: No Photo: Anette Schloss Leaves: 95% or more Colored leaves: 75-94%

Resources 1.Start with the definitions, and species-specific information. 2.Try the FAQ page. 3.

 Tuesday, April 8, 2014: Botany 101: Plant parts and tricky phenophases  Tuesday, June 10, 2014: A summary of spring: What have we learned from our campaigns so far?  Tuesday, July 8, 2014: What came first, the flower or the bee? Learn to explore patterns in space and time with our Visualization Tool Upcoming webinars

Why does phenology matter? What have data from the NYBG shown so far? How do you get started in Nature’s Notebook? How do you judge some of the trickier phenophases? Question and answer session Overview

HOSTPRESENTER Erin Posthumus Outreach Associate Alyssa Rosemartin Assistant Director & IT Coordinator Q&A Panel Theresa Crimmins Outreach and Partnerships Ellen Denny Monitoring Design Coordinator Patty Guertin Botanist LoriAnne Barnett Education Thank you!