Phenology

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Phenology







Phenology is the study of the timing of cyclical events in response to the changing of the seasons. These responses can be budding and blooming of flowers, emergence from hibernation in the Spring, the changing of leaf color in the Fall, or migration of birds in response to weather changes.

Phenology is important to study, as it gives us a chance to track how the world around us responds to normal patterns, as well as how our actions are affecting the timing of events like migrations and leaf-out. Global climate change is impacting many cycles in the natural world, but its long-term effects are largely unknown. Studying phenology can help us predict the potential long-term effects of climate change from the patterns of response that we observe in the short-term.

To monitor phenology, Project BudBurst has created exercises for teachers and students, involving choosing a focal plant, recording its initial conditions as well as the conditions of the area around the plant, and observing the plant daily, recording phenological changes.

The phenology activities in the laboratory activities section are designed to help you know what to look for in phenological cycles, and to allow you to track phenology right in your own backyard.

Image Source: Project BudBurst

Warner College of Natural Resources Colorado State University