Redwoods Phenology Project

Phenology is the study of seasonal or periodic biological events such as the emerging of new leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, insect emergence and animal migration. Put simply, phenology is the science of the seasons.

Help us study how our forests are responding to climate change and get involved with our phenology project.
Help us study how our forests are responding to climate change and get involved with our phenology project.

The seasonal changes of plants and animals throughout the year can be closely linked to climatic and ecological variables. So, tracking the phenology of plants and animals is one way to study how our forests are responding to climate change.

You can help us track these seasonal changes through our new phenology project in collaboration with East Bay Regional Parks (external link). This is a part of the larger California Phenology Project (external link) which is monitoring plants throughout the state. Simply walk the trails at Redwood and Roberts Regional Parks in Oakland, record what you see on our datasheets or your smart phone, and submit your observations to our project on Nature’s Notebook (external link).

Plants Monitored

California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica)
Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
Sticky Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus)
Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum)

For more information please contact the Education and Interpretation Manager at [email protected] or 415-362-2352. (You must attend a training before monitoring on your own.)