San Diego County Phenology Project

Please report all phenology observations here.
Log In / Register

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 USA National Phenology Network. 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 annual plant life cycle, such as bud development, leafing, flowering, and development of flower and fruit. 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). 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