Flowers are fascinating! They adapt to a wide variety of growing conditions, provide food for insects, and intrigue us with the origins of their names. As we exit June and summer hits its stride, take a look at this overview of the flowers (like the blue flag iris to the right) that you can find right now!

Every new day in May brings out plants and critters that re-emerge after their winter absence. Warmer temperatures and longer days allow plants to re-emerge from soil and leaves and flowers to burst forth from trees. These provide food for insects, which are food for frogs, birds and mammals and so on.  Here are some things to look for outside in May.

For some, the word Phenology is a relatively elusive word that doesn't immediately bring anything to mind. Considering that it's derived from Greek word phaino, meaning to show or appear, you might guess that spring is a great time to begin practicing this fun activity. April is an important month for Phenology because it marks the appearance of so many friends of field and forest that seem long lost over the cold winter months.

Spring is getting close, and important changes are already happening. You've probably already noticed that it's getting warmer and the days keep getting longer. Temperature and light are responsible for many changes to the landscape, which make spring a fun and beautiful season to track Phenology. Let's talk about these changes.

Water. Simply put: it sustains life. Humans can live without it for only three days before perishing. Its unique properties allow an insect to walk on top of it and a pelican to dive through it. It drives weather and moderates local conditions (cooler by the lake).

Because water is so integrated in earth's systems, it makes a great phenological tool, particularly in winter when it takes the form of snow and ice as you will see in this month's phenology blog entries:

Do you love Phenology?

Whether you answer with an emphatic “Yes!” or you think phenology is a silly word I made up, I hope you’ll become a “Phenology Phan” by the end of this post! At the Urban Ecology Center, we love phenology so much that we formed a phenology team just to help you understand and appreciate phenology.

What is Phenology, anyway?

Now before I get ahead of myself, let’s take a moment to introduce Phenology and its importance.