Phenology
by Gary Fewless, Herbarium Curator

Phenology is the study of the timing of natural events. Common examples include the date that migrating birds return, the first flower dates for plants, and the date on which a lake freezes in the autumn or opens in the spring. Phenological records help alert us about the events of nature and provide interesting comparisons between years and among different geographic regions. If recorded carefully and consistently, these records also have scientific value for understanding the interactions between organisms and their environment and for assessing the impacts of climate change.

The Cofrin Arboretum Center for Biodiversity maintains records of important natural events in the western Great Lakes region during all months of the year. Visitors to this web site are encouraged to submit observations using the form below. If the record is the first of its kind for the current year or if it has some other special interest, it will be added to the month's phenology table. As new months are added to the archive, these tables will provide a long term data base of regional phenology for scientists, educators, and nature lovers.