Using Nature’s Notebook to track seasonal & long term environmental change Nature’s exquisite timing: LoriAnne Barnett Education Coordinator November 18, 2015

Seasonal changes in the Mid-Atlantic

Objectives of today’s discussion:  Define phenology and explain its applicability to understanding changes in the natural world  Understand the importance of record- keeping.  Understand long-term phenology monitoring.  Apply citizen science and phenology!  Learn where to find resources to get started.

Just to be clear… phRenology – a pseudoscience focused on measurements of the human skull and size of the brain phOnology – a branch of linguistics concerned with the organization of sounds in language

PHENOLOGY

What do I KNOW about PHENOLOGY?! What do I WANT TO KNOW? THINK, PAIR, SHARE 5 minutes

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 the timing of recurring plant and animal life- cycle stages, or phenophases, and their relationship to environmental conditions. Photo credit: P. Warren

Who observes phenology? Scientists Gardeners/Agriculturists Land managers Educators Youth Photo credit: C. Enquist Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: S. Schaffer

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

U NDERSTAND HOW SPECIES AND LANDSCAPES ARE RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE. Primary goal Create a standardized, long-term dataset for use in multiple types of research. Mission Make phenology data, models and related information available. Encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to observe and record phenology. Photo credit: C. Enquist

Photo credit: L. Romano

Reproduction Development Method Activity ANIMAL >> Mammal, Bird, Snake, Insect Flowers Fruits Leaves PLANT Observable life cycle events or PHENOPHASES

Why are the timing of life-cycle events important? SEASONAL CHANGE Species interrelations Shifting weather and climate affect all of these

Vegetable Gardening "Bagatelle potager02" by Spedona (Spedona) - Cliché personnel - own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credit: E. Stemmy Feeding times Following brackish waters Water temperature Spawning times related to temp - 55° - 68° F in Chesapeake Bay. April peak? Chesapeake Bay Spring Season for Striped Bass = May 16 – June 16 Understanding outdoor recreation schedules

Land management decisions Image credit: John McColgan –U.S. Department of Agriculture. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia

Observations RECORD KEEPING

Using nature as a guide Tradition and Lore “Tribes kept track of seasons by giving distinct names to each recurring full moon.” November -Beaver Moon February – Full Worm Moon May – Full Flower Moon Photo credit: B. Powell Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise notedPhoto credit: L. Barnett September – Harvest Moon

Jefferson Powell Thoreau

Garden re-created Photo credit: Monticello

Cloned lilac program H ISTORIC L ILAC N ETWORK E STABLISHED IN THE 1950 S S ANTA R ITA E XPERIMENTAL R ANGE, G REEN V ALLEY, AZ Photo credit: L. Barnett

Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, via Wikimedia Commons Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons Photo credit: L. Barnett

David Bertelsen, Naturalist

What’s Phenology Finger Rock – Santa Catalina Mtns, Tucson Finger Rock Trail, Santa Catalina Mtns Tucson, AZ Courtesy: T.M. Crimmins

Collected by a single individual Collected by a single individual 1984-present 1984-present round-trip hikes (10 miles), 4158’ elevation gain round-trip hikes (10 miles), 4158’ elevation gain Approximately weekly Approximately weekly 587 flowering plant taxa (group of species) 587 flowering plant taxa (group of species) 155K+ records of plant flowering. 155K+ records of plant flowering. 73,000 vertebrate records 73,000 vertebrate records Photo credit: B. Wilder

Acer rubrum (red maple); Photo credit: D. Hartel Observing the same individual through the seasons

Acer rubrum (red maple); Photo credit: D. Hartel Observing the same individual through the seasons

ECOLOGY & PHENOLOGY

Weather Day-to-day changes in the Earth’s atmosphere. -Mark Twain Climate Long-term average of daily weather in a given area. It is about… …time

Distribution Abiotic Biotic Abundance

BIOMES –World’s Major Communities Classified by major vegetation, adaptations to environment Aquatic Grassland Desert Forest Tundra Optimum conditions= NICHE

Why is climate important to ecology? Climate drives what occurs where, what lives where, and how those species respond to their environment.

PHENOLOGY CLIMATE CHANGE

Phenology and Climate Change Research, spring timing and range A three-way mismatch English Oak Winter Moth Pied Flycatcher Both et al Nature EARLIER SAME TIME EACH YEAR EARLIER

The findings: Timing their arrival yields the best survival rate. The study: Do migrating barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) surf the “green wave”? Why do we care? We may be able to apply this info to other species. Can predict potential mismatch of food resources. Photo: (1) Peter van der Sluijs, Wikimedia Commons; (2) Jamain, Wikimedia Commons; (3) Erik Christensen, Wikimedia Commons (1) (2) (3) 2015, Si, Y. et al. Scientific Reports.

The findings: Species have a hard time finding each other. Interaction times are short. Generalized pollinators are affected. The study: Changing climate poses a greater threat to some species than others. What are phenological mismatches caused by? Why do we care? All species are interdependent in the ecosystem. Mutualistic relationships are critical and migrating species are most at risk. Photo: (1, 2, 3) Biran Forbes Powell (1) (3) 2014, Rafferty, N.E., et al. Oikos. (2)

2012. Primack, R. B, Miller-Rushing, A.J 7 day average 61 years 2-3 week average Bradley, N.L., Leopold, C.A., Ross, J., Huffacker, W. Sandhill crane and geese

CHANGES in: Arrival, birth, feeding Shifting range boundaries Changing morphology Extirpation or Extinction Economic impacts

Sea level rise 1-2 inches per decade Birds winter ranges will change – how? Where? oaspub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=4011 Frequent and severe floods and drought Reduction in biodiversity How Will Climate Change Affect the Mid-Atlantic Region?

Invasive species that thrive in warmer and wetter environments could displace beneficial Mid-Atlantic species and create pest control problems.

Observations SHARED FOR SCIENCE

Citizen science …  scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateurs or nonprofessionals  public participation in scientific research  (also known as) crowd science, crowd-sourced science, or networked science Quercus alba, Q. falcata, D. Hartel

~6,200 active observers ~7,700 active sites 6.3+ records Lilac data from taxa from 2009

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. Do you see…open flowers? Velvet mesquite, Prosopis velutina Image credit: Patty Guertin

Leaves Flowers Fruits Trees and shrubs – Deciduous with pollen Northern red oak, Quercus rubra Image credit: Ellen G. Denny

Quercus rubra phenophases Which phenophases are pictured? What time of year? Image credit: Ellen G. Denny

Songbirds Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis Image credit: Ken Thomas via Wikimedia Commons Activity Reproduction Development Method

Cardinalis cardinalis Image credit: Wikimedia commons and Pinterest

Common loon Activity Reproduction Method Photo: P199, Wikimedia Commons

Breaking leaf buds Leaves Increasing leaf size Colored leaves Flowers or Flower Buds Open Flowers FruitsRipe Fruits Recent fruit or seed drop DECIDUOUS PLANT PHENOPHASES

You MUST have your account completely set up online first to use the mobile apps!

Mobile app interface Image credit: Wikimedia commons "Cornus florida 02 by Line1

Nature's Notebook data on flowering of 6 species of deciduous trees and eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2012, ebird.org) data on a long-distance migratory bird, the Tennessee warbler Interannual patterns of phenological synchrony and overlap Kellermann. J.L.

NEXT STEPS

Select plants and animals to observe Locally use Nature’s Notebook in outreach and education as well as management

①Milkweed ②Red oak ③White oak ④White pine ⑤Tulip poplar ⑥Hickory ⑦Red maple ⑧Ash

①Honey bee ②Monarch ③Eastern bluebird ④Ruby-throated hummingbird ⑤Eastern tent caterpillar

Photo credit: L. Barnett Create accounts in Nature’s Notebook

Resources

Resources and upcoming events

What did I LEARN about PHENOLOGY?

Objectives of today’s workshop: Define phenology and explain its applicability to understanding changes in the natural world Understand the importance of record- keeping. Understand long-term phenology monitoring. Apply citizen science and phenology! Learn where to find resources to get started.

Connect with USA-NPN… Become an observer Discover new tools and resources Visit a local phenology trail LoriAnne Barnett