Historical Phenology Data Browser Instructions and Information
- To search, select the filters you want in the top boxes and the results will appear.
Note: The browser only returns the results available for the filters you have chosen. If you want to see all available data for any filter, then select the filter title (e.g. “Scientific Name”).
- You can click on the arrow by each column header to sort the results by that field.
- The number of data columns which are visible will depend upon the width of your screen and the degree to which you are zoomed in. Click on the “Columns” button to see all available columns and select/deselect which ones are visible.
- You can click on the green plus sign circle at the beginning of each entry to find out additional information about that observation.
- Results can be printed, copied, or downloaded as a PDF file using the buttons above the display.
Note: The number of entries shown in the current window is the number of entries that will be printed, copied or downloaded; you can select how many entries are shown using the dropdown menu above the display.
The Data
The data were assembled from Annual Reports of the Regents of New York State (1827-1831 and 1833-1850), Results of a Series of Meteorological Observations Made in Obedience to Instructions from the Regents of the University (1855 and 1872), Results of Meteorological Observations Made Under the Direction of the U.S. Patent Office and the Smithsonian Institution (1864) and Transactions from the Society of Useful Arts in the State of New York (1819). Most of these data were originally gathered as part of a multi-decade 19th century project organized by the New York State Regents; for more background information, see this page.
The Team
The data were entered from the originals and initially proofed thanks to the work of volunteer Isabel Sieta, intern Dylan Cipkowski and researcher Conrad Vispo of the Farmscape Ecology Program. The data has been further proofed, standardized and aligned with modern scientific names/phenophase descriptions with guidance and funding provided by our collaborators at Community Greenways Collaborative and the work of researchers Anna Duhon, Claudia Knab-Vispo and Conrad Vispo of the Farmscape Ecology Program. That said, users should understand that errors may remain; please contact us if you notice any issues.
The existence of this interactive historical browser is entirely due to the superb web development work of James Thompson (of Zen Point Media) who spun web magic out of our historic database. He also designed our website.
Research
In partnership, Community Greenways Collaborative and the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program are undertaking a comprehensive historic/modern data comparison using this dataset and the modern data collected by observers in the New York Phenology Project, a geographic affiliate of the USA National Phenology Network. A scientific article comparing the modern and historical data is now nearing publication - stay tuned!
Connect
If you are interested in using the complete dataset for research or other purposes beyond simple browsing, or have additional questions, please contact us. This work can be cited as “Progress of the Seasons Project, Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program, [date of consultation], hvfarmscape.org/cms.” Have fun!