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 night.

___ Full moon is especially bright

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 in the trees

___ Long forgotten flowers in the backyard

___ 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 pond.

___ Hawks circle on thermals

___ Sandpipers show up again on mud flats

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