Phenological Calendar

Phenology is the study of reoccuring natural phenomena.

WINTER

 ___Animal tracks in the snow

___Ice fishing season.

___Chickadees and finches flock to feeders.

___Morning mist hangs over open fields.

___Woodstove smoke lingers.

___Ducks gather in huge groups on open bays.

___Northern birds arrive after bad storms.

___Holly adds cheer to the season.

___Annual Christmas Bird Count.

___Squirrels sneak out for a quick bite.

___Birds already nesting in the far south.

___Great Horned Owls hooting on chilly nights.

___Days are very short now.

___Snow sounds squeaky on extremely cold nights.

___Full moon is especially bright

FALL

 ___Leaves turn glorious.

___Flocks of small birds head south.

___Squirrels very active making ready for winter.

___Hawks and eagles soar over high ridges.

___Time to rake fallen leaves.

___Pine cones start dropping seeds.

___Look for butterfly cocoons.

___Gulls on the beach hunker in the wind.

___Pumpkins are ready

___Forests echo with the cries of elk

___Antlered deer spar

____Bears move into hibernation.

____First frost appears one morning.

____Ring-necked pheasants scurry across bare cornfields.

____Ice appears on small puddles.

SPRING

___Look for restless fights of geese & ducks.

___Fields green up with new grass shoots.

___Flies on the side of the house on a warm day.

___Hungry squirrels and chipmunks show up at bird feeders

___Early forest flowers bloom

___Enthusiastic tree frogs trilling in neighborhood ponds.

___Sap moves n the trees:

___Long forgotten flowers in the back yard

___The weather turns briefly cold again.

___ice disappears from lakes.

___Day light saving begins.

___Fields are plowed.

___Newly arriving warblers sing

___Apple trees flower

___Butterflies fly on warm days

___Spring in full bloom by late April

Summer

___Sun-warmed tomatoes fresh off the vine.

___Lots of berries for cobblers and pies.

___Days get longer.

___Turtles sunning on logs.

___Birds nesting or feeding young.

___Mosquitoes come out as the sun goes down.

___Night filled with the Hum of crickets.

___Thunderstorms billow up on hot days.

___Hurricane season start.

___Salamanders retreat under damp logs.

___Young raccoons tag after their mothers.

___Tadpoles turn into tiny frogs.

___Bats dart in twilight skies.

___Kids search for monarch caterpillars.

___Dragonflies hunt over ponds.

___Hawks circle on thermals.

___Sandpipers show up again on mud flats.