Nature's Notebook

 I have been using a new app on my phone called Nature's Notebook. This is a phenology app and I have joined a group set up by a biology professor at UMD. She had 3 places set up. One was at Bagley Nature Center, one at Boulder Lake Nature Center, and one at the Lake Walk near the Rose Garden. I volunteered at the Rose Garden since that location had the fewest observers. I was given a map, pictures of each plant, and information about each plant. Today I went for the third time. My route includes green ash trees, paper birches, spruces, box elder trees, and red twigged dogwood bushes. The trees have metal tags on the trunks. The bushes have metal tags on the branches. My job is to observe the trees for which I need to bring my binoculars because some spruce cones are way up there at the top of the tree. I answer a list of questions specific to each plant. For the spruces a question is if there are any new needles. New needles are lighter green than the old needles so that question is pretty easy to answer. The time has passed for the male pollen cones so that question is easy too. For other trees I am asked if the tree is fully leafed out. All the trees are fully leafed out now so that question is easy too. I am asked if there are any flowers. If there are flowers how many flowers. Most have more than 1000 flowers. Last week the dogwoods were all flowers. This week some of the flowers have turned into unripe fruit. So there I am, walking around the path, looking for my trees, inputting data into my phone, staring at the tree tops with my binoculars. Other people are walking or biking or skate boarding or riding scooters or walking dogs or sunbathing. This week I spent a lot less time trying to find my trees than the week before so I think I am headed in the right direction. Along the route, two of the ash trees died so they were replaced with younger ash trees. The emerald ash borer affects older trees and leaves the young trees alone. Although I don't like staring at my phone when outside, I think this app is a good use of my time.