Authors of a new study published in  Nature Ecology & Evolution  analyzed data from three sources - Henry David Thoreau's observations recorded over 150 years ago in Massachusetts, four decades of observations collected at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, and recent observations contributed by  Nature's Notebook  participants across the U.S. - to demonstrate how these disparate data sources can be combined to detect changes in flowering phenology over time. The authors found increasing variability in the timing of flowering in recent years across datasets. This suggests that plants may be reaching the limit of how much they can advance their flowering to keep up with changing climate conditions.   

Data collected through our Southwest Season Trackers campaign were recently used in on-the-ground verification of growing season estimates from field-mounted digital cameras (Phenocams) and satellite imagery. The authors found that cameras effectively capture start and end of season for mesquite shrubs, but seasonal transitions are more difficult to capture remotely for the black grama grass. Do you live in the Southwest? Your phenology observations of grasses can help to fill this data gap!