Iowa Phenology and Seasons Information

Links

The first step in in the Green-Up and Green-Down protocols, after you have selected your site, is to identify the dominant native species. The following links can help you identify Iowa trees and shrubs plants.

• Iowa Tree Key
• Iowa's Plants Series - Iowa's Trees (From IAN)
• Iowa's Plants Series - Iowa's Shrubs and Vines (From IAN)

If your school has its own prairie restoration, then you have a perfect place to complete the phenology protocols while learning about Iowa's largest native ecosystem. From August to October, when grass plants are mature, it is easiest to tell one species from another. In the Spring, it is nearly imposible to tell one plant from another. If you choose to do the Green-Up/Green-Down protocols in a prairie then GLOBE Iowa suggests that you identify the dominant grass species (you only have to identify grasses to Genus) in the fall. The following links will help you identify grass species native to the tallgrass prairie. Download the Living Roadway Trust Fund's Grasses Plant List for a list of Iowa Species.

• Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund
• Prairie Field Guide (grass list, includes pictures)
• Grass Varieties (illustrations)