Phenology is the study of natural life cycle and seasonal events in the plant and animal world. These are influenced by the local environment, especially weather, temperature, seasonal change, and climate. Examples include the first dates of budding and blooming flowers, insects hatching, bird migration, and fall color. The word phenology comes from the Greek phaino meaning “to show, to bring to light or make appear.”

Garden journaling with phenology facts — phenology offers many benefits to gardeners. Gardening by the calendar can sometimes be misleading, especially when deciding when to plant. Each gardening region has its own native species and seasonal timetable. Flowers vary in their bloom times depending on their location. For example, Joe-pye weed might bloom in August in one area and September in another. But these plants will generally bloom at about the same time in any given locality from year to year. In addition, biological events are not the same from one microclimate to another. They are influenced by local temperature, precipitation, day length, and proximity to buildings and other structures.

If you keep a garden journal for seed lists, plant names, and locations, include your observations of the pheno– phases and microclimates unique to your garden and landscape. Be sure to note the first and last frost dates, bird arrival dates, leaf out dates, and insect emergence. Also, blooming dates of native and non-native species, including trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs, weeds, and ornamentals, early spring, mid-late spring, early summer, mid-summer, late summer, and fall. and high and low temperatures and precipitation, moon phases, summer and winter solstice, and equinox dates.

Phenology is valuable for scheduling seasonal tasks in your garden and working harmoniously with the natural environment. It is a helpful tool for successful intergrated pest management of insect pests & diseases, designing flower beds for sequential bloom, planning for harvest season, planning gardens for beneficial insects, predicting when to plant the best plants for bees and other pollinators, and preparing for allergy and mosquito season.

Native Americans were experts at reading their regional landscapes. Their knowledge of “nature’s calendar” helped ensure their survival and kept them in harmony with the natural world. For Native Americans, phenology was a well-honed tool and plain common sense. Life revolved around seasonal cycles as they moved from one food source to another, continually modifying their behavior in response to the life cycles of local plants and animals. They kept track of the seasons by assigning descriptive names to each recurring full moon, alluding to notable phenological events during that month. Native American tribes were materially and spiritually integrated with their landscapes. They believe every tree has a spirit; every rock, every river, every star that glistens, and every wind that breathes has spirit and purpose.

Insects are weather prognosticators. Insects, spiders, and other crawling or flying creatures are vital to healthy gardens. They perform important jobs pollinating, recycling nutrients, and eating pests. Spiders cannot spin properly in high wind, and before a gale they may be observed strengthening their webs.

The shape of the web is also a valuable weather indication. When the frame lines are short and stout, the spider’s instinct tells it that wind and rain are coming; while long and slender frame lines are a very reliable sign of calm and fine weather.

Wasps and hornets have the weather instinct over a still longer range. The banks of streams are the favorite nesting places for these insects. If the nests, in any season, are generally placed high up on the bank, it is taken as a sign of a wet season. The position of the nests is taken to avoid floods. When nests are near the water level, they forecast a dry, warm season.

There is a saying that “a bee is never caught in a shower.” When rain is impending, bees do not go far afield but ply their labor in the immediate neighborhood of their hives. This well-authenticated fact is set forth in the rhyme, which tells us that: When bees to distant wing flight, days are warm, and skies are bright, but when their flight ends near their home, stormy weather will surely come.

One of the most curious beliefs about an insect as a weather prognosticator is concerned with the larva of the cicada, commonly known as a frog or cuckoo spit. A white froth envelopes the insect. If it lies in the froth with its head upward, the summer will be dry; if downward, it will be wet.

Nature and outdoor lovers track migrating populations of birds, butterflies, and the sequence of blooming wildflowers from early spring through late fall. Scientists never cease to experience wonder and amazement at the insights phenology generates, and children naturally grasp phenology’s core concepts.

This post is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau (www.ngb.org) and Susan M. Betz. Have another blessed week in July.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? and who will go for us?” and I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15. “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” Proverbs 23:22. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12. “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.” 1 Timothy 5:1. “Grateful for God’s overflowing grace.” 1 Timothy 1:14. “Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3.