Theresa Crimmins presented a Tedx Talk in October 2024
(published online in March 2025) on "Observing the
Outer World to Change Our Inner One." She lays out a
salve for feeling overwhelmed by climate change: discov-
ering how observing and documenting seasonal changes
in nature, such as the blooming of a flower or the migra-
tion of a bird, can contribute to science and bring hope
in the face of eco-anxiety. See also Nature's Notebook.
Crimmins wrote a superb essay based on stories in her
book for The MIT Press Reader called How Plants Are
Responding to a Warming World—And Why It Matters.
In March 2025, USA-NPN recorded a webinar
with Crimmins, full of vibrant visuals to comple-
ment the stories from her new book, Phenology.
(from left) Phenophases of Amelanchier arborea: Young leaves,
open flowers, and fruit ripening. Photos by Ellen Denny
moment—this can be very beneficial, as
it helps us realize there is a bigger (and
calmer) world out there. It gives needed
perspective when we are living in a
culture of manufactured and relentless
urgency. "Tracking seasonal changes for-
mally absolutely results in seeing things
you had not or would not have seen pre-
viously—and that can lead to a deeper,
richer understanding of your environ-
ment and the trees and other plants
and organisms in it," Crimmins says.
On a professional level, phenolog-
ical data can inform you about when
the most allergenic tree pollens are
emerging; you can then educate the
public about when that will happen
and how long it may last. Importantly,
phenology tracking leads to the
USA-NPN Pheno Forecasts that give
you the optimal time to treat for
pests. Phenology tracking is also a
great way to engage the public with
your urban forestry program.
Phenology, and the book Phenology,
have so much to teach us. City Trees
readers will find this new book by
Theresa Crimmins fascinating.
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