In most of the last ten years, the First Leaf Index has arrived days to weeks earlier than calendar spring in the Washington, DC area. This year, spring leaf out arrived 25 days earlier than the Spring Equinox in Washington, DC.
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The USA-NPN, phenology, and our partners are often in the news. Follow some recent stories below.
News
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HOW DOES SPRING EQUINOX STACK UP TO THE REAL THING?Tuesday, March 20, 2018
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Pheno Forecast maps inform treatment timing for key pestsThursday, March 1, 2018
Our new Pheno Forecast maps show when management actions should be taken for five pest species including emerald ash borer, apple maggot, lilac borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, and winter moth. These maps are updated daily and are available 6 days in the future. Sign up to receive notifications.
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How will Punxsutawney Phil's predictions stack up to ours?Friday, February 2, 2018
By Groundhog day in 2017, spring had arrived 3-4 weeks early across much of the Southeast. This year, it looks like we will not see a very early spring in the Southeast. However, we predict that by Groundhog day this year, spring will have spread even further into Southwest states this year than last.
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2018 HEAT ACCUMULATION VS RODENT PROGOSTICATIONFriday, February 2, 2018
Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter. We agree - if we're talking about the eastern US. The southeast especially has been cool so far this year. In the west, we are already seeing signs of early spring from trout to snowberries. A new forecast by collaborator Toby Ault also calls for a early spring in the west, late in the east.
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FIRST FROST IS LATE ACROSS MUCH OF THE COUNTRYFriday, October 27, 2017
In a new article from the Associated Press, Weather Underground reports that 25% fewer states have had a freeze so far this fall than in normal years. A shorter freeze season means longer allergy season, longer mosquito and tick season, longer agricultural pest season, and cascading effects on plant and animal interactions.