Science and Visitor Services staff at Neal Smith NWR took part in a phenology workshop in 2017 to determine priorities for phenology monitoring at their Refuge. They identified a suite a focal species for monitoring, including pollinators and nectar plants, bur oak and Baltimore Orioles, and grassland birds. The Refuge is involved in the Nectar Connectors Nature's Notebook campaign, in which observers monitor flowering of nectar plants imporant for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. 

Read more about the phenology efforts at Neal Smith NWR on page 2 of the Fall 2021 Fish and Wildlife News.