Checklist

Here are some examples of the types of observations that phenologists make.  Use this list to make your own checklist or bulletin board. 

Ask students to make general observations or assign each student a category (tree, bird movements, temperature, daylight or angle of the sun, etc.) that he or she is responsible for monitoring throughout the season or year. The "Student Centered" phenology section adds a lighter component and allows classes to record personal interactions with the environment as well.

Recording phenological observations requires some practice.  Make sure to include modifiers for each event.  For example, words such as "first," "last" and "peak" should be used to describe an event or observation.

Dates - record important dates that relate to your observations

• Winter Solstice
• Summer Solstice
• Vernal Equinox
• Autumnal Equinox
  

Physical Observations - monitor changes in weather and the physical environment

• Angle of sun
• Hours of daylight
• Rain (first, last, amount, type of precipitation)
• Air pressure (highs, lows, trends)
• Wind (speed, gusts, trends)
• Clouds (presence, type, altitude)
• Frost (first, last)
• Snow (first, last, type, amount)
• Temperature (high/low, first specific low/high, daily, standing water, river)
• Ice (forms, thickness, melts)
• Aurora Borealis (occurrence, intensity, colors)
• Sun spots (occurrence, numbers)
• Others
  

Plants - try to name plants and what changes are occurring

• Tree observations (leaves growing, seeds forming, leaves change colors, loose leaves)
• Grass (dies, becomes green, first/last mowed
• Flowers (kind, blooming, go to seed, peak, pollen forming)
• Other plants (amount seen, blooms, peaks, new shoots seen)

Animals - try to name animals and what changes are occurring

• Birds (presence, abundance, mating call, molting, building nests, gathering, migrating)
• Mammals (movements, new "signs," babies, hibernating, defending territory, growing)
• Reptiles and amphibians (presence, calling [frogs especially], eggs, hibernation)
• Insects and spiders (presence, eggs, metamorphosis, migration, dying, first bite)
• Fish (spawning, catching, season starting, eating)
• Others 

Student Centered Observations - record how the progression of seasons affects students' lives

• Clothing (wearing long underwear or shorts, mittens, boots, raincoat)
• Snowman (first made, how many, type of snow)
• Food (First cup of hot chocolate, strawberries ripe, pumpkin pie)
• School events (first/last day of school, spring break, snow day)

Get out there and monitor your surroundings! Submit your Observations to the Explore Zone.