Hi USA-NPN,

We are thrilled to welcome our new student, McKinsey Tighe to the outreach team! You'll be hearing a lot more from her in 2024!

Let's check in on what you have reported this year Quercus Quest oaks. Your data collected as part of this campaign are key to understanding the complexities of oak ecosystems. Researchers will use your data to understand the relationship between climate and leaf and flowering phenology in eastern white oak, bur oak, and their relatives.

Your data will also be useful to the researcher team next year to plan the best time to collect gall samples.

As winter approaches, you'll notice that many of your Quercus species will be losing their leaves. If you're not comfortable with reporting the intensity of the canopy cover of your Quercus species, that's ok! Simply select "not sure" when prompted. However, if you would like to learn more about estimating intensity, Module 4 of the Observer Certification Course can help explain how to do so!

Some Quercus species will not lose their leaves in winter. Live oak, Quercus virginiana, will typically keep it's leaves through winter, dropping them in the spring as the new leaves emerge. Some of your oaks will also retain dead and dried leaves through the winter. If this is something you observe, it is appropriate to mark "no" for leaves and colored leaves.

This is our final message on Quercus Quest species for 2023. We look forward to seeing your observations on Quercus phenology in 2024. Remember to continue to mark your "no" phenophase observations through the winter, so that you can accurately observe the first "yes" observations of leaves and flowers in the spring! All of us on the Quercus Quest team wish you a safe and healthy winter season. Thank you for all that you do!

If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive Quercus Quest messages here. For more information about how to get started observing as part of this campaign, visit our Quercus Quest webpage.

Photo: Swamp white oak by Bob Gutowski

This year, you reported on Quercus Quest species at 233 sites. These sites include those of 46 Local Phenology Programs. The top contributing Programs are Meredith College (NC), EwA Middlesex (MA), The Morton Arboretum (IL), Crosby Farm Park ASCC (MN), and MAC Citizen Scientists (MA).

123 backyard observers reported on Quercus Quest oaks. Thank you all for your efforts!

You reported data on 10 of the 11 total Quercus Quest species so far this year. The map below shows locations where a first "yes" has been reported for ripe fruits for three species of this campaign - white oak, post oak and bur oak. The color of the icons represents the date of first "yes", while the shape represents the species.

Only those reports where the "yes" report was preceded by a "no" report are shown. Your "no" reports leading up to the first "yes" are especially important for a precise estimate of when the of your trees started ripening, so don't forget those "no's"! You can explore this map here.

Let's take a look at what you observed in some of the most commonly observed Quercus species, white oak, bur oak, swamp white oak, chestnut oak, and live oak this year.

While you reported leaves on live oak all year, the timing of your reports of leaves on other commonly observed oaks were quite similar, beginning in mid-March and peaking by June. You can explore this visualization here.

The peak in flowering timing was also similar, occurring in May for most species with live oaks peaking in March. You can explore this visualization here.

The peak in fruiting was less similar between species, with different species peaking in different months during the summer and fall, though fruiting activity dropped off for most species by mid-November. You can explore this visualization here.

Your reported colored leaves on your live oaks early in the year until April, and on all of your oaks beginning in August. You can explore this visualization here.

Next year we will be hosting a webinar to share results from this first year and hear from the researchers behind this campaign. We will be in touch when we have a schedule for this webinar!

Photo: Oak Leaves and Fruit by Joshua Tree National Park

Did you earn your Quercus Quest badge this year?

The badge will appear on your Observation Deck.

We hope that you will join us in the Quercus Quest campaign again next year! If you ever have questions about this campaign or your oaks, please email us at info@usanpn.org

Thank you for contributing to this important project!

Samantha Brewer

Outreach Coordinator

samantha@usanpn.org

bio

McKinsey Tighe

Student Outreach Assistant

mckinsey@usanpn.org

bio