phenology

Trees in your local park or street aren't just pretty — they are literally keeping people alive d...

Ocean floors near coastlines may be doing more to slow climate change than the forests we've been...

Mountain meadows and wildflower-rich grasslands many people hike through and depend on for clean ...

Apples at your grocery store or farmers market depend on a delicate balance of bees and weather, ...

Same invasive rhododendron overtaking Scottish hillsides is widely sold in garden centers, and es...

It suggests plants are far more electrically 'wired' than we imagined — meaning the garden plants...

If you've ever grown a century plant or seen one in a park or garden, this event is a reminder th...

Understanding how plants like ferns maximize energy from shifting light could inspire smarter pla...

It shows that the humble mosses you see blanketing forest floors and tundra are quietly working a...

It could help farmers and seed companies quickly identify drought-resistant crops, meaning more r...

Understanding exactly which genes control color and shape in sweet potato could help breeders dev...

The vegetables in your garden already use this hidden molecular memory system to decide when to f...

Flowers in your garden, the fruit trees at your local farm, and the wildflowers in your park all ...

The caterpillars or aphids chewing on your tomatoes and roses are secretly rewiring the microbial...

Understanding exactly how plants decide when to flower could help breeders develop crops that blo...

Tweaking how a plant senses light and heat could lead to tomatoes, rice, and wheat varieties that...

Waxy coatings on your vegetable garden's flowers and leaves are quietly adapting to rising temper...

The bread, pasta, and cereals on your grocery store shelves depend on wheat farmers being able to...

The potatoes on your plate and the tomatoes in your garden know when to flower and form tubers be...

The vegetables and wildflowers in your garden time their sprouting and flowering by reading both ...

Every tomato, apple, and grain of wheat on your plate depends on a plant successfully reading its...

Understanding how plants adjust their water and gas exchange under rising CO2 could help predict ...

As summers get hotter and droughts more frequent, the wildflowers and native plants in your backy...

Understanding why daisies, sunflowers, lettuce, and artichokes all share that distinctive 'flower...

Understanding BBX proteins could lead to crop varieties that produce more food, stay healthier un...

China grows more apples than any other country, and knowing exactly where those orchards are help...

The weeds taking over your garden, the wildflowers creeping into new climate zones, and the crops...

If warming winters start shifting when native fruit trees like pawpaws ripen, backyard gardeners ...

The wheat in your bread and pasta may soon be bred to flower earlier or produce more uniform grai...

Princess tree spreads aggressively into natural areas and gardens near roadsides, crowding out na...

Garlic mustard is likely already colonizing the edges of your local park or garden right now — an...

Bloodroot is one of the first wildflowers to emerge each spring, making its bloom a living calend...

Bees, butterflies, and other insects that pollinate your garden rely on CO2 and humidity cues to ...

Better plant identification tools mean the herbal supplement or medicinal tea you buy is more lik...

If winter-blooming shrubs like witch-hazel are flowering weeks ahead of schedule, the insects tha...

Understanding how kiwifruit flowers develop could help growers improve pollination success, fruit...

Wheat in your bread increasingly faces climate disruptions at planting time, and this research sh...

Underground fungal networks ghost pipe depends on are the same networks that support the trees in...

Knowing exactly when the tomatoes in your garden or the trees on your street are dangerously thir...

Breeders working on crops like canola, broccoli, or fruit trees could use this discovery to indep...

Those cheerful yellow nodding flowers carpeting your local woodland floor in April are yellow tro...

Growing peonies from seed normally takes years of guesswork — this research pinpoints the exact h...

Garlic mustard is probably already creeping into a park, trail, or shaded garden bed near you rig...

Understanding how perennial plants decide when to flower — and why some branches bloom while othe...

The invisible microbes packed into forest soil — right under pine and spruce trees — are quietly ...

The wildflowers and grasses in your nearest meadow or prairie are quietly running very different ...

The mayapple carpeting the forest floor of your local woods right now is one of spring's most rel...

Common blue violets blooming in your lawn or garden are one of the only early-spring food sources...

Poison ivy is probably already growing along the edges of your yard, local trails, or park — and ...

Yellow trout lily carpets woodland floors in early spring before tree canopies close, and if you ...

Bloodroot's brief early-spring bloom is a key signal that your woodland garden's native wildflowe...

Those bright yellow daisy-like flowers pushing up through bare soil in early spring — often mista...

Those brilliant blue carpets appearing under trees in parks and yards right now are Siberian squi...

Red osier dogwood thrives in wet, soggy corners of yards where most shrubs struggle — planting on...

Lesser celandine spreads aggressively in shaded, moist areas like park trails and stream banks, c...

Virginia Springbeauty is one of the first wildflowers to feed hungry bees and pollinators emergin...

Common blue violet is likely blooming right now in your backyard, local park, or lawn edge — and ...

Cut-leaved toothwort is one of the first wildflowers to bloom each spring, making it a key indica...

Surge in mayapple sightings is a real-time signal that spring has arrived in eastern North Americ...

Tracking when and where wildflowers like giant white fawn lily bloom each year helps scientists s...

Osoberry is a bellwether of spring — if you live in the Pacific Northwest, seeing it bloom means ...

Burst of community sightings helps scientists track exactly when and where salmonberry is floweri...

Western skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to emerge each spring — often pushing through sn...

Tracking when and where salmonberry blooms and fruits each year helps gardeners, foragers, and co...

Western skunk cabbage is a key early-spring indicator species — if you walk near wetlands or stre...

Tracking how many people are seeing Pacific trillium in bloom each year helps scientists detect w...

Shifting growing seasons on the Tibetan Plateau ripple downstream into the water and carbon cycle...

Osoberry is one of the first native shrubs to flower each spring, meaning its observation surge i...

Surge in sightings tells gardeners and nature lovers that spring ephemerals are peaking right now...

Surge in violet sightings signals that spring has arrived in neighborhoods and parks near you, an...

Mayapple's spring bloom is a reliable sign that your local forest is waking up, and tracking its ...

Yellow trout lily is a bellwether of spring in eastern forests — if you walk in a woodland park r...

Wave of bloodroot sightings signals that spring ephemerals are peaking right now — if you want to...

Tracking bloom observations like these helps gardeners and conservationists understand whether sp...

Garlic mustard is actively spreading through the woods and parks near you right now, outcompeting...

Poison ivy is actively spreading into backyards, trail edges, and parks right now — knowing what ...

Mayapple carpets the forest floor of nearly every eastern North American woodland in spring, and ...

The common blue violet blooming in your lawn or garden right now is feeding fritillary butterfly ...

Yellow trout lily carpets forest floors in early spring before trees leaf out, and right now is y...

Bloodroot is one of the earliest spring ephemerals to bloom in eastern woodlands, and tracking it...

Spotting trilliums in your local woods is a sign of old-growth forest health — these flowers take...

Those cheerful yellow flowers appearing in bare patches along roadsides and disturbed ground righ...

Those cheerful purple 'weeds' spreading through your lawn are actually a critical early-spring fo...

Mayapple is likely carpeting the forest floor of any wooded park or trail near you right now — an...

Those small pink-striped flowers carpeting your local woodland floor right now are a critical fir...

Bloodroot carpets forest floors in early spring before trees leaf out, and tracking its peak bloo...

Colt's-foot is often one of the first flowers to push through bare ground in late winter, so spot...

Salmonberries ripen earlier than almost any other wild berry in spring, and tracking when and whe...

If you walk wooded trails in Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia in spring, these striking wh...

Skunk cabbage is one of the first wildflowers to appear each spring in Pacific Northwest wetlands...

Sugarstick is a rare, fascinating plant that depends entirely on healthy old-growth forest fungal...

Stinknet is aggressively invading California's desert parks and wild spaces — the same places you...

Tracking when common wildflowers like Virginia Springbeauty bloom each year helps scientists dete...

Common blue violet is a native wildflower that supports early-season pollinators and serves as th...

Bloodroot's fleeting bloom is one of the first signs that spring has truly arrived in eastern for...

Lesser celandine is quietly taking over lawns, stream banks, and woodland gardens across the east...

Cut-leaved toothwort is one of the first wildflowers to carpet forest floors each spring, and tra...

Tracking when and where native wildflowers like giant white fawn lily bloom each year helps garde...

Tracking when and where native shrubs like Red-flowering Currant bloom helps gardeners, conservat...

Osoberry is one of the first native shrubs to flower each spring, meaning tracking its bloom timi...

Tracking when and where salmonberry blooms and fruits each year helps gardeners, foragers, and co...

Jack-in-the-Pulpit popping up in your local woodland trail or shaded garden right now means sprin...

Wild geranium is blooming right now in woodland gardens and forest edges near you — spotting one ...

Mayapple carpets the forest floor of parks and woodlands you may already walk through each spring...

Poison ivy is probably already growing along the edges of your yard, favorite hiking trail, or ne...

Yellow trout lily carpeting a woodland floor in April is one of the earliest signs that spring po...

Red trillium blooming in your local woodland right now is one of the clearest signals that spring...

Bloodroot carpets forest floors in early spring before trees leaf out, and tracking its bloom tim...

Those pretty blue ground-cover flowers carpeting lawns and woodland edges right now may be Siberi...

Spring bloom of brittlebush is a reliable signal that desert ecosystems are waking up, and tracki...

Eastern redcedar is rapidly expanding its range into grasslands and open fields near many communi...

Redstem Stork's-bill is one of the most common weeds invading lawns, gardens, and parks across No...

Common reed can aggressively take over wetlands, riverbanks, and even roadside ditches near your ...

The trilliums blooming right now in forests near you are an early-warning signal for spring timin...

Spikes in citizen science observations help track whether beloved spring wildflowers are blooming...

Virginia creeper climbing your fence or brick wall is a powerhouse for local wildlife — its dark ...

Alfalfa is a cornerstone of both agriculture and backyard ecosystems — it feeds livestock, fixes ...

Lesser celandine spreads aggressively in early spring before native wildflowers emerge, and once ...

Crane-fly orchids are a sign of healthy, undisturbed forest floor habitat, so spotting one near y...

Confirmed sightings of rare native plants like Curlyheads help conservationists and local gardene...

Lesser celandine spreads aggressively through stream corridors and can take over your local park ...

Tracking where eastern white pine is thriving — or struggling — helps gardeners, foresters, and p...

Nevin's Brickellbush is a rare Southern California native that supports local pollinators, and kn...

Finding a Douglas-fir in an Arizona canyon hints at how these iconic timber trees may cling to is...

Virginia creeper is climbing the fence in your backyard right now — and knowing it from poison iv...

Red trillium blooms in the same shady forest understory patches where you might hike or hunt more...

Netted pawpaw produces small edible fruits related to the common pawpaw, and knowing where it sur...

Fairy-slippers are one of the most delicate wild orchids in North America, and finding one in Ska...

Skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to bloom each spring, and tracking when and where people...

Fairy-slipper orchids are sensitive to soil disturbance and disappear quickly when forests are lo...

Henbit deadnettle is likely blooming in your yard, garden beds, or local park right now — and und...

Tracking when and where native wildflowers like Blue Dicks bloom each year helps gardeners, land ...

Licorice fern grows on mossy rocks and tree trunks in forests and parks many people walk through ...

Garlic mustard growing near your yard or local forest preserve releases chemicals into the soil t...

Common blue violets popping up along Raleigh streets are a sign that native wildflowers can persi...

Partridgeberry carpets shaded woodland floors and its bright red berries feed birds and small mam...

Greater celandine spreads readily into garden edges, roadsides, and woodland paths near homes, an...

Tracking where native wildflowers like bloodroot still grow helps gardeners, conservationists, an...

Coral honeysuckle is a native alternative to the invasive Japanese honeysuckle, and knowing where...

Bristle thistle is a native wildflower that supports specialist bees, goldfinches, and monarch bu...

Tracking where native wildflowers like Virginia bluebells are blooming helps gardeners and conser...

Virginia bluebells are a beloved native spring wildflower that supports early pollinators like bu...

Citizen science observations like this help track where native woodland plants like partridgeberr...

Purple Phacelia is a valuable native wildflower that attracts early-season pollinators like nativ...

Tracking where native wildflowers like Dakota mock vervain are actually growing helps gardeners, ...

Community-recorded sightings like this help scientists and conservationists track where native wi...

Roughleaf dogwood is a tough, drought-tolerant native shrub that supports local wildlife with its...

Every confirmed sighting of a native wildflower like bloodroot helps scientists and gardeners tra...

Stiff Dogwood is a Florida-native shrub that supports local wildlife with its berry clusters, mak...

Yellow trout lily is a key early-spring wildflower that supports native pollinators emerging from...

Surge in documented sightings helps scientists track where this iconic fern is thriving — or pote...

Beavertail Pricklypear is a low-water, high-impact native plant that thrives in hot, dry conditio...

Tracking where native wildflowers like Little Sweet Betsy still grow helps conservationists and g...

Documented sightings of native plants like Bigelow's Spikemoss help conservationists and local la...

Research-grade community sightings like this help build a real-time map of where native wildflowe...

Giant white fawn lilies are native wildflowers that support early-season pollinators, and knowing...

Confirmed sightings like this help scientists track whether ferns and other shade-loving plants a...

Arrowleaf balsamroot is a keystone native plant that supports pollinators like native bees and bu...

Mountain laurel puts on one of the most spectacular late-spring flower shows of any native shrub ...

Mayapple carpets woodland floors and produces a fruit edible when fully ripe — spotting it thrivi...

Partridgeberry is a charming native groundcover that thrives in shady woodland gardens, stays gre...

Same biological 'self-rejection' system that field poppies use to stay genetically diverse is rel...

Pinxter Flower is a native wild azalea that supports early pollinators like queen bumblebees just...

Lesser celandine can carpet your yard, garden beds, and nearby stream corridors every spring befo...

American beech trees anchor forest ecosystems you hike through by producing beechnuts that feed d...

Knowing exactly where giant white fawn lilies grow helps protect the shaded forest edges and mois...

Red-flowering Currant is a beloved native shrub you can grow in your own Pacific Northwest garden...

Tracking where native wildflowers like felt paintbrush are thriving helps conservationists and lo...

Bluebead lily is a reliable indicator of healthy, undisturbed forest understory — spotting it in ...

Herb Robert is quietly spreading through Pacific Northwest gardens and forest edges, and once est...

Joshua Trees near Desert Center mark the southern edge of a shrinking range — knowing exactly whe...

Western skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to bloom each spring in Pacific Northwest wetlan...

Green false hellebore is highly toxic to humans and livestock, so knowing it grows in North Lawre...

Golden Alexanders is one of the earliest spring bloomers for native bees and is a host plant for ...

Eastern Skunk Cabbage is one of the first plants to emerge each late winter, and spotting it in y...

Camphor trees spreading through Louisiana neighborhoods can quietly crowd out native species whil...

Tracking where native plants like Bigelow's Spikemoss still survive helps conservationists and la...

Yaupon Holly is a drought-tolerant, native alternative to imported teas and coffees that you coul...

European holly has escaped garden cultivation and is spreading into wild areas around Portland, w...

Common milkweed is the only plant monarch butterflies can lay their eggs on, so knowing where it ...

Mayapple patches like this one can quietly spread through your shaded garden beds each spring, of...

Knowing where native wildflowers like Celandine Poppy are naturally growing helps gardeners and c...

Mayapple is a native woodland wildflower that can signal the health of local ecosystems — spottin...

Tracking where native wildflowers like twoleaf miterwort grow helps gardeners and conservationist...

Research-grade iNaturalist observations like this one collectively help scientists track whether ...

Northern spicebush is a keystone native shrub that supports spicebush swallowtail butterflies and...

Eastern redcedar is a resilient native evergreen that's increasingly common in yards and roadside...

Field madder is a creeping weed that can quietly invade lawns, gardens, and roadsides near you — ...

Sea grape is a salt-tolerant, wildlife-friendly native plant that thrives in Florida gardens and ...

Holm oaks are drought-tolerant Mediterranean trees increasingly planted in California cities, and...

Citizen-science sightings like this one build the long-term dataset that helps gardeners and cons...

Community observations like this one help scientists track where native wildflowers are thriving ...

Carolina snailseed is a tough, native vine that can fill a shady corner of your yard with lush fo...

Black locust spreads aggressively along roadsides and woodland edges near homes, outcompeting nat...

Nuttall's Thistle attracts native bees, butterflies, and goldfinches to Florida yards and roadsid...

Muscadine grapes are a tough, heat-tolerant native vine that home gardeners in South Florida can ...

Virginia sweetspire is a tough, deer-resistant native shrub with fragrant summer blooms and brill...

Oakleaf fleabane is a pollinator-friendly native wildflower that can thrive in your yard or garde...

Mosses like this one form the living crust on garden walls, forest floors, and rocky outcrops tha...

Lesser periwinkle is a popular garden ground cover that can escape into wild areas and crowd out ...

Pacific poison oak grows in parks, trails, and neighborhood edges — knowing exactly where it's be...

Tracking where native wetland plants like skunk cabbage are thriving helps communities identify h...

Perez's sea lavender is widely planted in California gardens and along roadsides, and tracking wh...

White Globe Lily is a native California wildflower that supports local pollinators and represents...

Community-recorded sightings like this help scientists monitor where native trees like bigleaf ma...

Tracking where native wildflowers like orange bush monkeyflower are thriving helps gardeners and ...

Carolina Vetch quietly enriches the soil in yards and wild edges near you by fixing nitrogen — ac...

Jack-in-the-Pulpit growing along the Grand River means native woodland wildflowers are holding on...

Azure bluet carpets meadows and lawns with tiny sky-blue flowers each spring, and community sight...

Florida Hedgenettle can quietly spread into your garden beds and lawn edges, so knowing it's esta...

Mayapple patches in Midwest woodlands and shaded gardens signal a healthy, intact forest understo...

Sweetbay magnolia is a beautiful native tree you can actually grow in your own yard — it tolerate...

Woodland stonecrop thrives in the shaded, rocky spots many gardeners overlook, making it a low-ma...

Tracking where native ferns like maidenhair spleenwort naturally grow helps gardeners and conserv...

Community-documented sightings of native desert cacti like Branched Pencil Cholla help scientists...

Rubber Rabbitbrush is a tough, drought-tolerant native shrub that pollinators depend on in late s...

Tracking where native cacti like walkingstick cactus are growing helps conservationists and local...

Mealy Blue Sage is a drought-tolerant native perennial that pollinators love, making it a smart, ...

Crimson clover fixes nitrogen in the soil, so spotting it growing in your region confirms it thri...

American pokeweed is a striking but highly toxic native plant that can appear in backyards, parks...

Slender vetch is a native wildflower that fixes nitrogen in the soil, meaning its presence in urb...

Chinkapin oaks are excellent drought-tolerant shade trees for Texas gardens, and knowing they gro...

Flowering dogwood is a beloved backyard tree whose spring bloom times are shifting with warming t...

American tuliptrees are some of the tallest native trees in eastern North America and provide cri...

White clover in your lawn or local park is a living fertilizer — its roots host bacteria that pul...

Sea grape is one of the toughest salt-tolerant shrubs you can grow near the beach, and confirmed ...

Wild radish can take over disturbed roadsides, farm edges, and open spaces in your neighborhood, ...

Vanilla leaf carpets shaded forest floors in the Pacific Northwest and its presence signals a hea...

Eastern redbuds are one of the first trees to bloom each spring, and tracking where and when they...

Red Clover growing near Jasper, TN feeds local pollinators like bumblebees and fixes nitrogen in ...

White clover fixes nitrogen from the air directly into your lawn or garden soil, acting as a free...

Great mullein is a prolific colonizer of disturbed soils — roadsides, fields, and garden edges — ...

Mock strawberry quietly spreads through lawns, gardens, and parks near you — and knowing where it...

Every verified sighting of a native desert wildflower like Scale Bud helps scientists track wheth...

Knowing where poison ivy is actively growing helps hikers, gardeners, and parents identify risk a...

Tracking where coconut palms grow in cities like Honolulu helps gardeners and urban planners unde...

Red deadnettle is one of the earliest spring bloomers to appear in gardens and lawns, meaning its...

Jack-in-the-Pulpit thrives in the shaded, moist woodland edges many gardeners overlook, making it...

Field peppergrass can quietly colonize the edges of your vegetable garden or lawn, competing with...

Hawthorn can spread into wild areas and outcompete native plants, so knowing exactly where it gro...

Tracking where native California wildflowers like matilija poppy are growing helps gardeners, con...

Rose Clover is a non-native species spreading through California's open spaces, and community sig...

Verified citizen science sightings of native plants like fringe cups help conservationists and ga...

Sweet alyssum spreading through Santa Clara County means this fragrant, low-growing groundcover i...

Field horsetail can quietly invade garden beds and lawns, spreading aggressively through deep und...

Carpet bugle spreads quickly as a ground cover and can escape garden beds into local woodlands, s...

Ballmoss is a fascinating indicator of air quality and urban tree health — if you see it covering...

Christmas fern is one of the toughest native evergreen ferns you can plant under trees in a shady...

Community-verified sightings like this help track where native trees like eastern white pine are ...

Carpet bugle can quietly take over garden beds and spread into nearby lawns or natural areas, so ...

Mosses like juniper haircap are quiet workhorses of healthy ecosystems — they retain moisture, pr...

Tracking where Virginia creeper grows helps gardeners and land managers understand its spread — i...

Lawn daisies popping up in Connecticut lawns signal how deeply this European wildflower has woven...

Tracking where snapdragons naturalize or persist outside gardens helps gardeners in the South und...

Eastern white pine is one of the tallest trees you can grow in a northeastern yard, providing yea...

Coconut palms lining Hawaiian beaches aren't native — tracking where they grow and thrive helps g...

Citizen science observations like this help track where box elder is spreading or persisting in u...

Virginia creeper growing on your fence or up a tree trunk provides critical late-season berries f...

Red deadnettle is one of the earliest spring bloomers in lawns and garden beds, providing crucial...

Cattails spreading into neighborhood wetlands and drainage areas can crowd out native plants, so ...

High-altitude lakes feed rivers and communities downstream, and understanding what limits fish po...