LEARN ABOUT CREATURES

(IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS)

this project is called LOCAL BIOLOGY (until we think of something better)

Make a seasonal calendar

Make a seasonal calendar

1. How to start your seasonal calendar

We are going to start our calendars today...building them out for the next month. Think of some questions of what kinds of things you would like to learn more about.

Here are some examples:

  • What birds should be singing now?
  • Which flowers should be blooming
  • What should the squirrels be doing right now?
  • What is going on with the earthworms?
  • What happened to my plant after it flowered?

You will be doing some research on the internet.
This page should get you started

For inspiration, listen to this guy talking about phenology.

Another idea...which might give you some ideas for your own personal art project. Making your own calendars sometimes helps you learn better.

2. Once you research what is supposed to happen
in the next month, add some items to your calendar

  • Login to this site, and add an item to the natural events calendar
  • Fill in the 'what to expect' area with information from your notes...what should you expect to find? What should you listen for? What kinds of leaves do you look under to see eggs for butterflies?
  • Stay tuned for better advice!
  • When you finally notice something happening out in the real world, Record an Observation. We keep what you observe separate from what you expect to notice.

Everyone can do this

Making a seasonal calendar can help you make a better connection to where you live -- even if you don't live out in the country.

Today is the best day to start...there's always something going on, no matter where you live. In the dead of winter, or heat of the summer, on the grayest most depressing day. All days and nights are full of the goings-ons of wildlife. Start now, and learn about what is supposed to be going on in the next month.

It seems like no one builds up an appreciation of seasons very quickly. It takes a few years of observing all the time for the place you live to start to sink in...and start to make sense.

How the calendar works on this site

Everyone can add events to the natural calendar. Add them for your town. You could add information for fish, plants, bears, snakes, ants, fungi, birds, microrhyzae...any organism you like.

You add the events for when things are supposed to happen. This way, looking into the near future, you will start to see what's coming up.

Even more important to adding events into the calendar, adding information about 'What to expect.' What good is it to read a calendar about events that you don't get to notice yourself? Saying things like 'look for this mushroom on moist logs after spring rains' will help other people to also understand what is happening.

If all goes as expected, we will come out of this with a richer sense of time, place and seasons.

Why don't you just fill in the calendar from existing databases

Really, what fun would it be if you didn't have to go yourself and try to find out when the garter snake makes babies? If we filled this information in for you, you would have no reason to find out for yourself. It isn't fun to learn when all the people before you did the important work. There's nothing left for you to do!

Also, it's hard to learn about every organism all at once. You need time outside, taking in just one or two new birds at a time. Seeing how they fly, what they are doing, what they sound like. With phenology, slow and steady wins the race...so we will all make our own little calendars, and draw from each other to make our experience of our own places more meaningful. This will help us give back to our land.

Phenology resources

An ongoing list

None

By

Chacha
Posted on 27 July 2008

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