PHENOLOGY: SOMETHING WE CAN SHARE WITH THE FUTURE

 by Gail Becher, Co-Chair, Ecology and Environment Committee

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE fall has returned to Ten Mile. The sights and sounds which surrounded us this summer are now fond memories. -- Robins arrive; chorus frogs sing; fresh spring green fills the landscape; yellow-rumped warblers nab a midge; lady slippers dot the forest floor; loons raise their young; pine pollen floats through the air; Northern lights dance in the sky; wild strawberries ripen; immature eagles cry to be fed; monarch butterflies emerge; milkweed blooms; raspberries are picked; purple martins feed young nestlings; temperatures soar; crickets chirp; squirrels gather green acorns; rolling thunder echoes at night; loons begin rafting; cattails shed seeds; Mars brightens the night sky.

THESE OBSERVATIONS REMIND US of the wonderful cycles of our natural world. At our cabin we like to keep track of these comings and goings by means of a practice known as PHENOLOGY. Phenology is the study of relationships between climate and periodically recurring biological events. It is the relationship between climate and the plant and animal world. Phenology is change in the natural world: changes we can see, hear, smell, feel, and taste.

BECOMING AWARE of phenological activities offers one a heightened awareness and understanding of our natural world. The day-to-day, week-to-week, season-to-season, and year-to-year changes, if observed and appreciated, can teach us all.

HOW ABOUT CREATING A PHENOLOGY CALENDAR OF YOUR OWN? It' s easy to do. Simply make note of any observation of interest or indication of the constant change going on in the natural world. For instance: When did you see the first hummingbird return in the spring, or hear the first loon yodel? When did you watch the northern lights or taste the first ripe wild blueberry? Record these sights and sounds in a notebook, including the date and time. Whenever you feel like it, send in the highlights of your observations, and we'll create a phenology calendar in our TMLA Newsletter. In years to come, we can compare these highlighted events and perhaps begin to draw connections between plant and animal life, and the climate or weather that are associated with them.

CHANGE IS LIFE, and it goes on all around us whether we are aware or not! Keeping a phenology calendar is something we can share with the future. Our delight today can be a part of someone's education tomorrow. Send your observations to:

Gail Becher c/o Ten Mile Lake Association, Inc.
P. O. Box 412
Hackensack, MN 56452

[PLEASE NOTE: You can hear phenology reports by John Latimer weekly on the Grand Rapids community radio station, KAXE at 91.7 fm or 89.5 fm. These programs are live on Tuesday mornings at 7:20; a taped version is repeated at about 8:45.

You can also hear, at 7:20 a.m., another wonderful program, "Talking on the Wild Side," by John Latimer and Harry Hutchens.]