San Diego County Phenology Project

Please report all phenology observations here.
Do not enter your data at the Project Budburst website. We will submit all data to Budburst.
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Links: SDNHM Botany Climate Change

Citizen naturalists: For many years amateur naturalists have been making observations on the commonalities they see in nature, documenting the plants they come across on a hike, the daily weather conditions, or birds that are passing through on annual migrations. The notes and observations of amateur naturalists are turning out to be a useful tool when trying to reconstruct the living landscape in a particular area. The role of amateur naturalists has paved the way for creating research based projects that use citizen scientists to collect data in their local environments. San Diego needs more study: Being a Phenology Reporter is your chance to contribute to a scientific study documenting the flowering times of our local flora. San Diego County has a unique combination of climatic, geographic, geologic and floristic features making it the most botanically diverse county in the contiguous United States, and a hotspot of biodiversity. Because of this, we don’t have many plants in common with other regions participating in the nationwide observation network known as Project Budburst. We must select some of our own local plants to monitor in order to see if their flowering patterns are changing compared to the past.

		What is a Phenology Reporter supposed to do? Look for possible indicators of climate change in your area by observing native or naturalized plants, including trees, shrubs or herbs and keeping records on their flowering behavior. (Naturalized plants are those non-natives that grow, persist and reproduce in natural, non-cultivated habitats.) We don’t want observations from planted gardens or yards, or anything receiving life support, such as water or fertilizer. Choose a location near your home, workplace, or school that you will be able to visit at least once or twice a week (for instance a hiking trail or neighborhood park or any location you regularly visit). Who can become involved? This project is perfect for anyone who has time to venture outside a few times a week and is willing to record observations about flowering plants. We are already working with students, retirees, docents at parks and natural areas, and professional biologists or botanists. How do I get started? If you are a trained Parabotanist then use your Plant Atlas initials and password that were assigned to you. If you are new to the program then please use the self registration page. Once you have created a Login and Password you can start contributing. What do I need to know about plants? You do not need to be a botanist, or know how to identify plants. We can help you select which plants to monitor from our list of choices, and will verify the identity of the plants you choose. We will tell you what you need to know about the different phenophases.
		Phenophases are the different phases of the plant life cycle (see below). Not all trees, shrubs and plants move through life at the same pace. Be aware that in some cases you may notice more than one phenophase at a time, and you can record 2 observations of the same plant on the same day (e.g., end flower and fruit may occur at the same time on some plants). The six phenophases you will record are listed below. 1) First Leaf/Budburst - Report the date at which the first leaves are completely unfolded from the bud. For trees or large shrubs you will want to make sure there are at least three places on the tree or shrub where budburst has occurred. The leaves need to be opened completely and the leaf stem or leaf base must be visible (you might need to bend the new leaf backwards in order to see those). Many of the trees and shrubs in our region do not lose their leaves so this phase may not apply to all plants on the list. You may find more deciduous trees in our riparian areas and mountains. 2) Full Leaf - Report the date when nearly all (at least 95%) of the growing leaf buds have already reached the completely unfolded stage previously described. 3) First Flower - Report the date at which the first flowers are completely open. You must be able to see the stamens among the unfolded petals. For herbs (non-woody plants), look for the date when the first flowers of one patch are blooming. For trees or large shrubs you will want to make sure there are blooms on at least three places on the tree or shrub. 4) Full Flower - Report the date when 50% of the flowers are fully opened. Note that some trees and shrubs, especially in southern areas never reach full flowering (never have 50% of flowers open at one time). For these plants just record first flower and last flower. 5) End Flower - Report the date when at least 95% of the flowers have withered, dried up, or died. 6) Seed or Fruit Dispersal - Report the date when you notice the first fruits or seeds dropping naturally from the plant. What if the plant that I want to monitor is not on the list? The list that we have posted will continue to grow with feedback from our volunteers. Email us and let us know if you have something in mind and if it fits our guidelines then we will add it to the list.
Contact Info: Layla Aerne Hains      Mary Ann Hawke      climate@sdnhm.org      Phone 619.255.0298 © 2009 San Diego Natural History Museum