I took a dozen courses in biology without hearing much about phenology. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says it’s “a branch of science dealing with the relations between climate and periodic biological phenomena (such as bird migration or plant flowering).”
But a lot of these notes involve phenology. They’re reminders of when different species of plants are likely to put on leaves or flower. I last saw a hummingbird two weeks ago. I hope the birds that were fighting over the feeder made the migration safely.
My sense of phenology extends to human beings in general and to my household in particular. I made a note that I put a fire in the fireplace — the first of the season — on Oct. 8.
At some point, I’ll switch to long johns. And seeing on a calendar when I might expect to make that change somehow makes me feel more a part of this new place that I call home.
No comments:
Post a Comment