Profiles

Meet the Minnesotans who have contributed their phenology notes, historical data sets and enthusiasm for the natural world! People from all walks of life help to make up our diverse network of citizen scientists.
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Participate

Share your observations with fellow naturalists. Join Nature's Notebook to help build a valuable database of information about climate change and learn about its impact. Find out how to start here!
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Datasets

Browse and visualize our datasets with our brand new data tools. Sort through various datasets with our online data table, graph them with our pivot table, or just download them all for your own use!
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Minnesota Phenology Network's 8th Annual Gathering

People all over the State are sharing phenology stories, observations, and data!

Every plant and animal is part of a story that affects us all: the well-being of the environment. By tracking changes in the natural world—from bloom times to breeding patterns—we learn more about that story, how it’s impacting us and what we can do about it.
 
Phenology is the study of recurring events in the life cycle of plants and animals, many of which are closely tied to patterns of climate and seasonality. Phenology integrates biological, chemical and physical processes occurring at the level of the cell (e.g. cell expansion of new leaves in spring) to globe (e.g. bird migration). It has a rich history in the United States: Jefferson, Thoreau and Leopold all studied phenology. The Minnesota Phenology Network (MnPN) was founded in 2010 to promote the study of phenology in the state of MN by sharing knowledge and experiences; identifying and compiling known long-term datasets; creating common measurement protocols and databases; and inspiring observers new and old from across the state. It is loosely associated with the USA-National Phenology Network.
 
It’s your story, too. Be part of it. Learn more about phenology and how you can join researchers and nature lovers across Minnesota to tell your piece of the story. We have a bigger impact when we all share what we see happening in nature and work together.