PHENOLOGY
What's That?
Phenology is the study of
the annual cycles of plants
and animals and how they respond to seasonal changes
in their environment.
What
can I learn from Phenology?
-
How weather
affects water and soil and the kinds of plants and animals that inhabit
them.
-
The relationship
between the life cycles of plants and the animals that depend on them.
On what dates the first flowers and leaves open on the many species
of trees such as witch hazel, red oak, white oak, pin oak, silver
maple, red maple, sugar maple, Norway maple, cottonwood, river birch,
and American elm.
-
When the
various migratory songbirds arrive in the spring, and when migrating
ducks arrive in the fall.
-
When and
on what plants different insect species appear.
-
When various
wildflowers begin to bloom, and when they produce fruit or seeds.
As we accumulate
data over several years, we will begin to be able to observe patterns,
changes, and relationships such as the correlation between insect emergence
and the arrival of migratory birds.
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