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Student Observer

TRAINING

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So what is phenology? Phenology refers to recurring life cycles stages of plants and animals and how those cycles are influenced by weather, climate and the environment. We can think of phenology as the science of the seasons.

Phenology affects nearly all aspects of the environment, including the abundance and diversity of organisms, their interactions with one another, their functions in food webs, and their seasonal behavior, and global-scale cycles of water, carbon, and other chemical elements.

Phenology is a key feature of life on earth. For example, many birds time their nesting so that eggs hatch when insects are available to feed nestlings. In turn, insect emergence is often synchronized with leaf-out in their host plants.

Phenology also impacts human life in many different ways. For many people, allergy season starts when particular flowers begin to bloom. Farmers and gardeners need to know when to plant to avoid frosts, and they need to know the about plant and insect life cycles to know how to care for their crops. Even our recreation opportunities, required conservation activities, and potential hazards and risks are influenced by the timing of different plant and animal life stages.

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Let’s take a look at the datasheet for plants.

Depending on the type of plant it is, tree, forb, conifer, there are different phenophases you look for. On this datasheet, you see the allergen trees listed next to the conifers. There is a column for each plant you will observe. You will write in the plant names at the top of the columns. You can see them already written on this sheet.

Down the sides you see the phenophases you are looking for. Do you see leaves, do you see flowers or flowers buds and so on. Each plant type has a different set of phenophases to observer. When you make an observation, you will look at a specific listed tree. Look up, look down, all around for that thing. Then you mark whether you see it or not. Mark Y for yes, N for no and ? For when you aren’t sure if you see it or not. It’s okay to mark this. As you are observing you will want to double check the definition sheet to help you decide how to answer each question.

Once you’ve answered all the “Do you see…” questions for one tree, move on to the next one.

Let's take a look at the different species of plants you will be observing at school.

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Tree 4

Tree 5

Tree 3

Tree 2

Tree 1

Trees

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Forb 4

Forb 5

Forb 3

Forb 2

Forb 1

Forbs

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Breaking leaf buds

Initial growth

Increasing leaf size

Leaves

Colored leaves

Falling leaves

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Breaking leaf buds

Initial growth

Increasing leaf size

Leaves

Colored leaves

Falling leaves

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Flowers or flower buds

Open flowers

Pollen Release

Fruit

Ripe Fruit

Recent fruit or seed drop

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Flowers or flower buds

Open flowers

Pollen Release

Fruit

Ripe Fruit

Recent fruit or seed drop

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Pollen cones

Open pollen cones

Pollen release

Unripe seed cones

Ripe seed cones

Recent cone or seed drop

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Pollen cones

Open pollen cones

Pollen release

Unripe seed cones

Ripe seed cones

Recent cone or seed drop

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The datasheet and observation process is a little different for animals. With animals, you are looking in the whole observation area to see if you see or hear the animal species. It’s like a checklist. You mark Y if you see a species, N if you don’t see it and ? If you aren’t sure. Only mark unsure if you think you might have seen it but don’t know for sure if it was the right species. You’ll probably mark lots of No. Animals can be great at blending in or hiding. Being quiet, moving slowly and keeping your eyes open wide will help you spot more of these animals, if they are there. Keep in mind that some animals may only utilize the property at a specific time of day so they might not be out while you are there. Your no answers provide us with valuable information. They help us identify when and how different animals utilize the area. Only mark Y if you are sure you saw OR heard a listed species. You may want to spend some time learning the sound different species make before your visit. Or you may want to record what you hear to identify later, if possible. Just do your best.

If you do see or hear one of these animals, note in the comments section what you saw or heard it doing.

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Animal 1

Animal 2

Animal 3

Animal 4

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American Robin

Blue Jay

Downy Woodpecker

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Cardinal

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

American Goldfinch

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Let's see how you did. Do we see initial growth? NO. Growth is considered initial until the first leaf has fully unfolded. The plant is has many leaves so it is beyond the initial growth stage.

Do we see leaves? Yes. We see many live, unfolded leaves with their leaf stalks/or leaf bases visibly attached to the stem.

Do we see flowers or flower buds. No. We do not see any flowers.

Do we see open flowers? No. Just a note, some phenophases overlap. If you did see open flowers, you will also be seeing flowers or flower buds. and would mark yes for each phenophase.

Do we see fruits? The fruit for common milkweed is large and pod-like and changes from green to tan or brown and splits open to expose seeds with fluff. Yes, we do see fruits.

Do we see ripe fruits? For common milkweed, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned tan or brown and has split open to expose seeds with fluff. All these fruits are still green. so no, we do not see ripe fruits.