Imagined What it could do
Imagine a tower where watchers note the first blossom of spring, the arrival of swallows and the first frost, and use these signs to know when to plant, harvest and celebrate.
Real world Phenology: nature's calendar
Phenology is the study of the timing of natural events: when leaves open, flowers bloom, birds migrate and insects hatch. These events are closely linked to temperature and weather, so long records show how climate is changing.
One of the longest records comes from Kyoto, Japan, where the dates of cherry blossom festivals have been written down for centuries. In recent decades the cherry trees have been blooming earlier than in most of the historical record, as springs have warmed.
Real world You can be a scientist
Projects such as the USA National Phenology Network and the Woodland Trust's "Nature's Calendar" in the UK invite anyone to record what they see, such as the first frogspawn or the first bluebell. Thousands of observations together help scientists understand how nature is responding to a changing climate.
Art In this artwork
This illustration shows a tall, slender tower with a purple roof, wrapped in vines, with a golden crescent moon and small lamps at the top.
Look closer
- Find the crescent moon at the top. Why might watchers of the seasons care about the Moon?
- Notice the windows facing different directions.
Think about it
- What signs tell you the seasons are changing where you live?
- Why might a record kept for hundreds of years be so valuable?
- What could you observe and record each week?
Key words
- Phenology
- The study of when natural events happen.
- Citizen science
- Research that anyone can help with.
- Migration
- Animals traveling between places with the seasons.
Sources
The real-world facts on this page are based on these sources:
- USA National Phenology Network and the Woodland Trust "Nature's Calendar"; Kyoto cherry blossom records
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Phenology"
