Phenology
Blog post based upon the program on Phenology by Sylvie Vanhoozer presented to Reed-Turner Botanical Artists members in January, 2025.
Phenology is the art of observing and recording the rhythms of the natural seasons.
A phenology wheel is a visual representation of seasonal changes in nature.
Botanical artists are phenologist recording the seasons.
Phenology wheel is a
perpetual journal at a glance, a month at a glance
It can include
Fauna and migration patterns
The seasonal rhythm of farm to table
A tree for all seasons
An organic mix, native plants, equinoxes, liturgical year
Phenology relates to:
Vegetation: transpiration, surface roughness, albedo / LAI
Climate: temperature, precipitation, radiation
Atmosphere: biogeochemical fluxes
Animals and Humans: for availability (ecological mismatch) pollen season
For indigenous communities observations of natural cycles and the traditional ecological knowledge plays a role in their way of life. Phenology informs decisions in these cultures - when to plant and harvest crops, when to expect the arrival of specific animals for hunting or gathering.
Phenology is the study of the timing and cyclical patterns in the natural world. It is related to the annual life cycles of plants, animals, and other living things - the budding of leaves, the migration of birds, the flowering of plants. Phenology is a field of ecological research that helps scientist understand how living organisms respond to environmental cues such as day length, temperature, and rainfall. It addresses how climate change impact seasonal changes. In addition, Phenology can be used to manage invasive species and forest pests. It can assess of the vulnerability of species, populations, and ecological communities.
Look ahead to your Phenology Wheel recording your seasonal changes in nature:
An individual winter project
A perpetual calendar
A group exhibit
ASBA The Botanical Journal
Notes:
The National Phenology Network (NPN): NPN Nature’s Notebook Program launched in 2009, is a citizen science project that allows people to record the seasonal activities of plants and animals.
NPN had created incredibly resources - a Botany Primer and Phenophase Primer for Flowering Plants - to address questions regarding the nuance of phenophase status in plants. A phenophase is a visible stage in an organism's annual life cycle. Although made for their Nature’s Notebook program, these manual are a great in-depth guide for botanical artists to view plants to create a Phenology Wheel.
The original Reed-Turner program presentation and the NPN plant resource links are in Members Resources.
Source: https://www.usanpn.org/ and program presentation by Sylvie Vanhoozer