Desert Refuge Info and Activity
Monarch and milkweed tabling activity and information about the Desert Refuge campaign.
Monarchs and Milkweed: Understanding their Relationship
Participate in our Desert Refuge campaign with this lesson plan. Your students will learn about the importance of phenology and citizen science as it relates to monarch butterflies. Students will also learn how to collect phenology data using Nature's Notebook and interpret data collected by citizen scientists across the state of Arizona.
TGNC Fieldwork Alliance
The Transgender and Gender-nonconforming Field Alliance was created in 2022 by Dr. Ezra Kottler. They meet virtually on a monthly basis to coordinate initiatives to support TGnC scientists who do field work in both natural and social sciences, and provides resources to educate allies in positions of power within these fields.
Phenology Snapshots
Students conduct an investigation using historical photographic records to determine whether the timing of plant phenophases has changed in their own communities. They search for old photos (indicating dates) in their family’s or town’s records that show sites where plants are in specific phenological stages (i.e., peak flower, 90% leaf out [or 90% lack of leaf cover], fruiting, seasonal festivals, etc.), and that show dates of record. They then visit those sites when plants are experiencing those same phenophases and take pictures to compare the past and present timing of seasonal events.
Mapping and Graphing your Phenology Observations
Students will develop their own research field site, learn to make observations and collect data outdoors, build their own dataset and then will learn to plot graphs of that data. They will also learn to use GPS and mapping tools and resources.
What can a Lilac Tell us About Climate Change?
Students will use the Spring Index Maps and USA-NPN Visualization tool to explore the timing of spring between their location and other areas of the country. They will also explore the overlap of phenology between two species in a single year.
Monarchs and Milkweed - Looking at the Numbers
Students will work with a small dataset taken from the USA-National Phenology Network database. The data show the timing of observations by Maine volunteers of milkweed plants and monarch butterflies in 2011.
Investigations in Phenology
Conduct this activity before students are introduced to data collection using the Nature’s Notebook observation protocols. This activity will familiarize students with some of the main phenophases present on select species during certain times throughout the school year.
Traducido por Viviana Beltran
Bird Feeder Notebook
Students record observations and collect data about birds visiting feeder(s) outside their school. They compare their records with
historical records from local birding experts and online citizen science data sources to determine whether the timing of bird activity has shifted in their community.
Life of Corn
The following activity can be used as an introduction to the concept of phenology. It demonstrates the life cycle of a corn plant, a
plant familiar to many, putting this plant into a new perspective. The Life of Corn highlights the importance of the developmental lifecycle, something which all organisms experience in a predictable manner.