A weekly feature on the timing of outdoor occurrences
In an effort to bring more seasonal sanity to our lives, this is the last episode of The Nature of Phenology—but before we go, let’s revisit the joys and importance of phenology that we hopefully highlighted these past 7 ½ years.
On cold, clear nights, almost imperceptible ice crystals will form high up in the atmosphere creating arcs and halos of light around the glowing moon.
Right now, situated on the dark side of the calendar year spanning 2023 and 2024, we are at an auroral peak.
Regardless of where you are from in the north, the difference feels severe between the summer solstice, when our planet is tipped towards the sun like a gentleman bowing to a dignitary, and the winter solstice, when our planet seems to be leaning away from the light like a vampire at dawn.
There are so many tools we can use to predict the weather or the severity of winter…which ones are the most accurate?
Wooly bears are on the move in order to find a spot to spend the winter as caterpillars,
The exciting and obvious seasonal changes of late summer and early fall appear at first glance to be at a standstill. No more obvious flocks of birds moving south, lingering wildflowers or pollinators, sunshine that warms bare skin. But there are always signs of the continuous cycle of nature out there.
Thunderstorms come from cumulonimbus clouds, which are the giants of the cloud world. They are the only cloud that extends through all three cloud levels.
Sometimes the transition from winter to summer can look decidedly awkward—just ask our neighboring deer, moose, foxes, and coyotes who are look ragged as ever right now as they shift from their dense winter coats to their summer coats.
Regardless of what the alarm clock says indoors, that internal clock on hibernators is buzzing now too. If you think waking up to the alarm after the clocks spring ahead is hard, it is much more challenging to wake up after a few months of slumber.
The Nature of Phenology 