Spring Phenology of Common Landscape Trees

Phenology is the study of plant life cycles and how these cycles change seasonally and with the climate. Observing and collecting data on plant life cycles is important because it tracks how plant life cycles are altered by changes in temperature and precipitation on a yearly basis or climate change over several years. In the Spring, seasonal cues such as temperature and number of growing degree days trigger plant responses such as leaf out, while both temperature and photoperiod affect flowering. Different species of plants have different temperature requirements before they initiate these processes. Additionally, even cultivars of the same species may respond differently to temperature. The objective of my study was to record Spring phenological responses to several cultivars of popular ornamental trees, including crabapples and callery pears.