Select a branch of biodiversity, such as birds, trees, or insects.
What is the tree of life?
The tree of life is a symbol showing how all lifeforms on Earth are related. The tree's main branches represent large groups, such as plants, fungi, and animals. Smaller branches represent sub-groups. For example, animals split into invertebrates and vertebrates, and then split again into smaller sub-groups, including fishes, birds, and mammals. In this way, the tree shows how closely or distantly related organisms are to one another. But what does this have to do with phenology?
Shared traits
Closely related organisms, which are grouped together on the tree of life, share traits. Those traits are often important when thinking about phenology clues. For example, to observe the phenology of any plant, one can look at leaves; whereas one could look for eggs to understand the phenology of any amphibian, reptile, or bird. However, just because two species share traits does not mean they have the same adaptations to climate. Phenology and the tree of life are ways to appreciate both relatedness and diversity among lifeforms.
Jump to a group on this page:
Plants Fungi Animals Invertebrates Fishes Amphibians and reptiles Birds Mammals
For a spreadsheet of all organisms on the Season Watch website, click here.
Plants
In summer, plants' leaves produce energy in the form of sugar. Plant stems transport that energy to all parts of the plant. As a general rule, winter is the time of year when plants become less active than in summer, or in some cases, die.
Observing plant phenology means playing close attention to the timing and status of leaves, flowers and fruits (or, for some plants, cones or other types of reproductive structures). In some species, observing pollen is also helpful.
Plants that lack woody stems are are called "herbaceous". For this group, aboveground parts (e.g., stems and leaves) die in the transition from summer to winter. Herbaceous plants that live two or more years (biannual and perennial plants, respectively) have underground roots that persist through winter and store energy needed for new shoots in spring.
Season Watch has profiles on the following herbaceous plants:
Wildflowers (also called forbs)
- Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
- Canada white violet (eastern and western, Viola canadensis and Viola rugulosa)
- Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
- Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
- Greater yellow lady's slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum v. pubescens)
- Pasqueflower (Anemone patens)
- Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae)
- Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
- Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
- White sage (Artemisia ludoviciana)
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Wild leek (Allium tricoccum)
Others (grasses, ferns, etc.)
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
- Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
Woody stems do not die back in winter. This means their energy transport system lasts for a plant's lifetime, and does not need to be regrown every year. In spring, woody plants relay energy from their roots to the tips of every twig to support growth of new leaf and flower buds. Some trees flower before leafout, while others form leaves first and flowers later.
One way to split woody plants into sub-groups is based on their leaves’ sensitivity to cold. Deciduous plants lose their leaves every fall. In contrast, evergreens have specialized leaves (e.g., needles) that persist, even in extreme cold.
Season Watch has profiles for the following woody plants:
Deciduous trees and shrubs
- American basswood (Tilia americana)
- American elm (Ulmus americana)
- American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
- American tamarack (Larix laricina)
- Black ash (Fraxinus nigra)
- Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
- Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
- Common lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
- Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
- Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
- Prairie rose (Rosa arkansana)
- Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
- Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
- Red maple (Acer rubrum)
- Serviceberry (genus Amelanchier)
- Sugar maple (Acer rubrum)
Evergreen trees and shrubs
- Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
- Red pine (Pinus resinosa)
Fungi and lichens
Fungi are more closely related to animals than they are to humans. Despite this and other fascinating facts, fungi are studied by a relatively tiny community of experts, and little information about their phenology is published. Similarly amazing but understudied are lichens, which are lifeforms that contain both algal and fungal cells.
Dr. Tom Volk, who was based out of Wisconsin, had this to say [1] about mushroom phenology:
Q: Do mushrooms have seasons the same way that plants do?
A: Yes. They’re not as obvious because they’re just showing their fruiting bodies during certain seasons. So, you look for morels in the spring. In my area you look for chanterelles in the summer, you look for boletes in the summer. Then you start to get a frost and you get honey mushrooms and chicken of the woods and hen of the woods and things like that. So yes, they’re seasonal fruiters but they’re growing all the time. And then in our area, they go dormant in the winter.
Season Watch has a profile on morel mushrooms (genus Morchella).
[1] Ologies: Mycology (MUSHROOMS) with Dr. Tom Volk, podcast by Alie Ward, May 14, 2019.
Animals
Similar to plants and fungi, Minnesota's seasons influence when animals rest, reproduce, and gather energy. Unlike plants or fungi, however, animals can move out of the way when cold arrives. Many animals migrate to warmer places outside of Minnesota. Others stay in Minnesota but are seldom seen during winter because they rest in protected places. And some animals employ a third set of strategies, staying active and observable despite the cold.
Observing animal phenology means paying close attention to the presence or absence of living individuals (adults or young), as well as their behaviors. Some animals change appearance with the seasons (e.g., weasels have a white coat in winter, birds have winter plumage with duller colors compared to their breeding plumage).
Animals can be divided into several sub-groups, some of which are listed below.
Invertebrates
Season Watch has profiles on the following invertebrates:
- Bumblebee (genus Bombus)
- Canadian tiger swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)
- Common green darner (Anax junius)
- Dog-day cicada (genus Neotibicen)
- Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
- Mosquito (genus Aedes)
- Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
- Wood tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
Fishes
Season Watch has profiles on the following fishes:
- Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
- Walleye (Sander vitreus)
Amphibians and reptiles
Season Watch has profiles on the following amphibians and reptiles:
- American toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
- Boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata)
- Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)
- Spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
- Wood frog (Rana sylvatica)
Birds
Season Watch has profiles on the following birds:
- American kestrel (Falco sparverius)
- American robin (Turdus migratorius)
- American tree sparrow (Spizella arborea)
- Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
- Chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica)
- Common loon (Gavia immer)
- Common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
- Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)
- Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis)
- Great blue heron (Ardea herodias)
- Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
- Pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
- Pine siskin (Carduelis pinus)
- Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
- Rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
- Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
- Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis)
- Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
- Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
- Wood duck (Aix sponsa)
Mammals
Season Watch has profiles on the following mammals:
- American black bear (Ursus americanus)
- Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
- Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
- Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus)
- White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
More biodiversity
Season Watch represents only a small fraction of Minnesota's biodiversity. Below are resources to help you explore the richness of lifeforms in Minnesota.
Bell Museum checklists
Connect to Minnesota's biodiversity through programs and resources provided by Minnesota Extension.
Explore iNaturalist to find out what people are seeing near you, or in other places on the globe. Upload your own observations to get input from the community on identification.