Earlier spring phenology observed in many plant species in recent decades provides compelling evidence that species are already responding to the rising global temperatures associated with anthropogenic climate change. There is great variability among species, however, in their phenological sensitivity to temperature. Species that do not phenologically “track” climate change may be at a disadvantage if their growth becomes lim...

Phenological observations of plant flowering patterns provide useful information for studying the ecological impact of global climate change over long‐term periods. However, the long‐term data sets with which meaningful comparisons can be made are rare, especially in the less‐populated Northern Great Plains region of North America. Here we present the observations of first‐flowering time of native and nonnative plant species i...