Have you heard the saying, “Plant corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear?” Or “Plant peas when the forsythia blooms?” These are not just old wives’ tales or old farmers’ tales, as the case may be.
The advice in these old saying is based on hundreds of years of observation of the relationships between periodic biological events. The study of such events – usually the life cycles of plants and animals – and environmental changes is called “phenology” which is derived from the Greek word phaino which means “to show” or “to appear.”
Planting corn has nothing to do with oak leaves or squirrels, but centuries ago through trial and error the Native Americans found that when oak leaves were the size of squirrel’s ears, the soil was warm enough to prevent rotting, yet it was still early enough that there was plenty of time for the corn to mature for harvest.
You may have been practicing phenology yourself and haven’t been aware of it. Many people keep records of ice-out on local lakes and rivers, the date the first robin of spring appears, the date the lilac blooms, or the first fall frost. You may remember that you had to mow the lawn for the first time in mid-April one year but could wait until May another year. Or that you didn’t get your first mosquito bite last summer until July 10, but that the year before they were out in force in mid-June. Or that your allergy symptoms started May 23 one year but not until the May 31 the next year.
It is easy to keep a running record in a notebook of those events and others such as when the daffodils break ground and when they bloom, when the rhubarb begins growing, when the apple trees blossom, when you can pick the first asparagus spear or raspberry, when you see an outbreak of some kind of garden pest or other, when you see the first firefly, when the leaves begin turning in the fall and when the trees are bare. It is interesting to record rainfall with the help of a rain gauge and if you are really diligent, the high and low temperatures each day can be noted. It is very interesting to compare the current year to past years.
But what is the purpose of all this record keeping, other than for curiousity’s sake? You will immediately see a pattern – things happen in the same order year after year. You will note that seemingly unrelated events predict other occurrences. For example, when chicory blooms, it is time to take action to prevent damage from squash vine borer and when Canada thistle is in bloom, apple maggot adults are abundant and susceptible fruit should be protected.
If you enjoy record keeping and want to participate in a nationwide phenology study, you can be a citizen naturalist and join Project BudBurst at www.budburst.org.
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