Phenology

Observations by Gary Fewless for Green Bay WI (Lat.N 44.51° Long. W 88.02° ), except as noted. For flowers lacking conspicuous petals or sepals I define "anthesis" as release of pollen by mature anthers.

October 2008 Mouse-over the photo for the identities of the subject Aster ericoides (heath aster)

Date	Observation (Click on links for photos)
Oct 31	A Red-tailed Hawk was perched on a lamp post watching the adjacent fields as I drove in to work this morning. Any questions on where the name came from?
Oct 27	Oak leaves still hanging on in the canopy, UWGB.
Oct 25	Although many leaves have fallen there is till good Fall color where there are oaks, as here in UWGB Cofrin Arboretum
Oct 22	We had a low temperature of 34° F in Green Bay and there was ground fog on this stormwater detention pond in Allouez.
Oct 21	A second introduction of the Emerald Ash Borer insect as announced today for Kenosha County in extreme SE Wisconsin (first reported Aug 4, 2008). One estimate places the number of ash trees in Wisconsin at 765 million, so the new threat is very serious for Wisconsin forests and streets.
Oct 16	There was light frost this morning, at least in allouez.
Oct 15	Light rain in Green Bay but still a very good day to be outdoors.
Oct 14	The leaves are still brightly colored on UW-Green Bay's Cofrin Arboretum, but they are beginning to fall rapidly, so the aspect will change quickly. The brightest yellow leaves are Carya ovata (shagbark hickory), the brightest red leaves at lower right are Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac), and the greenest remaining leaves are of Quercus ellipsoidalis (Hill's oak). The nearly leafless tree at the far left is Populus deltoides (cottonwood).
Oct 12	High temperature of 82° F in Green Bay. This tied the record for high temperature for this date, and several other communities in northeastern Wisconsin set new high temperature records today.
Oct 11	High temperature of 77° F.
Oct 07	Green Bay received 0.72 inches of much needed rain.
Oct 05	Another frost this morning, but the low is only 32° F today and the high temperature was 62..
Oct 04	Even colder today with a low temperature of 28° F in Green Bay.
Oct 03	First frost of the season for Green Bay this morning. The temperature reached 30° at 6:00 a.m. and it stayed below 32° for about 3 hours, resulting in another seasonal rite in Green Bay--the first scraping of the windshield. Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) on the UW-Green Bay campus have reached about full color (yellow)
Oct 01	Cooler air approaches our area. Morning low is 38° F, our lowest temperature of the season in Green Bay. There are still many plants flowering in our area, of which Aster novae-angliae (New England aster) is one of the most conspicuous.