Phenology Trail

Teatown is one of nine regional sites with a Phenology Trail. These trails were established as a joint-monitoring effort with the Ecological Monitoring and Management Alliance and the New York Phenology Project. Phenology trails follow seasonality in plant species and the effects of climate change on the timing of this seasonality. 

What is phenology?
Phenology is the timing of plant and animal life cycle events. Think of it as nature’s calendar! When flower buds open, when maple helicopters drop, when tree leaves change color — these are all phenological events.

Why does phenology matter?
Phenology is a key indicator of climate change. Shifts in the timing of plant life cycle events, like when flowers bloom, can lead to mismatches between animal species that have evolved to depend on particular plants. Variation in the timing and availability of resources (e.g., pollen, nectar, fruit, seeds) can significantly impact animal populations.

Phenological data collected at Teatown supports a regional monitoring effort, which provides specific insights on phenology in the Lower Hudson Valley.  Local data like this is not always readily available. Teatown also contributes data to a larger, national dataset managed by the USA National Phenology Network (USA NPN). USA NPN organizes data and delivers forecasts to support natural resource management and decision-making while advancing the field of phenology.

If you have questions or are interested in volunteering to collect phenological data, please contact Environmental Research Scientist Erin Snyder at esnyder@teatown.org or (914) 762-2912 x139.