Phenology is the study of natural systems and how they change over the course of the year and from one year to the next. Things that are marked by phenologists include the first robin of the year, the first leaf on a tree or shrub each spring, the first wave of geese traveling south for winter, and the ice-on date of a lake in northern states. Phenological records like the blossoming of cherry trees in China and the flooding of the Nile River have been used to help reconstruct past climate in other parts of the world over long time periods.
Yale Climate Connections described “Nature’s Notebook”, an initiative by the National Phenological Society to recruit private citizens who love watching the weather to write down these events and track their changes over time. You can read about this at https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2016/09/citizens-help-track-natures-changes/.
And don’t forget our rainfall citizen science network, CoCoRaHS. We are always looking for volunteers who are willing to buy an appropriately precise rain gauge (costs about $35) and enter daily rainfall amounts into the CoCoRaHS database. To find out more about what CoCoRaHS stands for and how to get involved, visit https://www.cocorahs.org or email me. I am one of the regional coordinators for Georgia.
