“Many of the
events of the annual cycle recur year after year in a regular order. A
year-to-year record of this order is a record of the rates at which solar
energy flows to and through living things. They are the arteries of the land.
By tracing their response to the sun, phenology may eventually shed some light
on that ultimate enigma, the land’s inner workings.” –Aldo Leopold, A Phenological Record for Sauk
and Dane Counties, Wisconsin, 1935-1945
Phenology is the
study of the timing of life cycle events and their relationship to the environment
(e.g., leaves changing color in the fall, birds migrating in the spring and
fall, butterflies emerging from their
Chrysalis). It
tells scientists when events such as bird migration are happening on their
usual schedule—and when an event might be out of time or place, especially in
relation to the climate and change of seasons.
Phenologists observe and take notes on these events to try
to discover nature’s patterns and rhythms. One famous phenologist, Aldo Leopold,
kept records of wild animal and plant life on his Wisconsin farm from 1935-1948.
His daughter, Nina Leopold Bradley, continued to carry on her father’s work,
compiling a robust database spanning from 1976 until her death in 2011. She
found that a substantial number of phenological events occurred much earlier in
her data than they did in her father's.
Create a classroom phenology notebook to track the natural
patterns of plants and animals at your school. Fill a three-ring binder with
notebook paper and add dividers for each month. Record seasonal changes your
students observe while outside throughout the year – sunrise/sunset times,
hours of sunlight, temperature, changes in tree leaves and plants, animals you
see and what they are doing.
Helpful Websites
Phenology:
Observing the Seasonal Timing of Life Cycle Events
Phenology Garden Teacher’s Manual: An introduction to teaching, observing and recording phenology
Phenology Garden Teacher’s Manual: An introduction to teaching, observing and recording phenology
