Using Nature’s Notebook and Phenology to teach about seasonal & long term environmental change Nature’s rhythms: LoriAnne Barnett Education Coordinator
Just to be clear… phRenology – a pseudoscience focused on measurements of the human skull and size of the brain phOnology – a branch of linguistics concerned with the organization of sounds in language
What’s Phenology Phenology refers to recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, maturation of agricultural plants, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. It is also the study of these seasonal changes, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate.
Reproduction Development Method Activity ANIMAL >> Mammal, Bird, Snake, Insect Flowers Fruits Leaves PLANT Observable life cycle events or PHENOPHASES
Acer rubrum (red maple); Photo credit: D. Hartel Observing the same individual through the seasons
PLANT LIFE CYCLE GREEN GROWTH Requires Optimum Conditions FLOWER SET SEED
American kestrel Falco sparverius ©Wikimedia Commons Active
Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, via Wikimedia Commons Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons Photo credit: L. Barnett
U NDERSTAND HOW SPECIES AND LANDSCAPES ARE RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE. Primary goal Create a standardized, long-term dataset for use in multiple types of research. Mission Make phenology data, models and related information available. Encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to observe and record phenology. Photo credit: C. Enquist
Citizen science … scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateurs or nonprofessionals public participation in scientific research (also known as) crowd science, crowd-sourced science, or networked science Quercus alba, Q. falcata, Asclepias tuberosa; D. Hartel
Photo credit: L. Romano
RECORD KEEPING
Jefferson Powell Thoreau
Garden re-created Photo credit: Monticello
What content and skills might PHENOLOGY teach?
PHENOLOGY
What can PHENOLOGY teach: English and Language Arts Social Studies: History, Cultural Studies, and Geography Healthy Living and Physical Education Foreign and Native Languages Arts such as music, theater, and visual arts
Have a PLAN
Make it LONG TERM Intro YEAR 1 YEAR 2YEAR 3 + Intro YEAR 4 Intro Monitoring Analysis Monitoring Analysis
Nature’s Notebook in our classroom
Important things we’ll discuss today: What is PHENOLOGY What are plant and animal life cycles? What do we know about seasonal changes? Why do we have certain plants and animals here? What can Nature’s Notebook help us understand?
USA-NPN Education Publication Number: C
-Mark Twain Climate Long-term average of daily weather in a given area. The average annual rainfall in Tucson, AZ is ~12.0 inches. The average June high temp is 100°F. December is the average coolest month at 65°F. Weather Day-to-day changes in the Earth’s atmosphere. It rained yesterday. Last Wednesday it was 110°F. Sunday will be sunny and 105°F. It is all about time …
Why is climate important to phenology and ecology? and ecology? Climate drives what occurs where, what lives where, and how those species respond to their environment.
Life Zones
Photo credit: L. Romano
Method Activity ANIMAL Active individuals Feeding Individuals at a feeding station Flowers Fruits Leaves Leaves Colored leaves Open flowers Recent seed or fruit drop PLANT PHENOPHASES
Leaves Flowers Fruits Gambel Oak
Acorn Woodpecker Photo from All About Birds
Breaking leaf buds Leaves Increasing leaf size Colored leaves Flowers or Flower Buds Open Flowers FruitsRipe Fruits Recent fruit or seed drop DECIDUOUS PLANT PHENOPHASES
①Saguaro ②Candy barrel cactus ③Buck-horn cholla ④Tree cholla ⑤Velvet Mesquite ⑥Yellow paloverde ⑦Desert ironwood ⑧Brittlebush ⑨Beavertail pricklypear
Photo credit: L. Barnett Create accounts in Nature’s Notebook
Connect with USA-NPN… Sign up for a phenology quarterly e-newsletter Become an observer Discover new tools and resources LoriAnne Barnett