Phenology or a Groundhog
Use Phenology as a Powerful Garden Tool Observe and Learn About Annual Cycles and Seasonal Change in Plants and Animals or Do You Really Believe Punxsutawney Phil the Groundhog in Pennsylvania
Which do you believe? A groundhog or scientific observations taken over time? Phenology explains seasonal cycles and season change in the natural world -- and our gardens
Phenology aside, Punxsutawney Phil the Pennsylvania Groundhog did NOT see his shadow today so that means there will NOT be six more weeks of winter and instead there WILL be an early spring, if you believe in the annual dog, pony and groundhog and sunshine show. Instead of following this poor critter, I think gardeners would do a lot better to pay attention to phenology. Phenology is the study of annual cycles and response to seasonal change in plants and animals.
Save the groundhog and take a look at the timing of springtime botanical events such as flower emergence. When the lilac buds swell you know something is up for sure -- or at least that's what phenology tells us.
Phenology lends credence to old timer lore like "plant when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear" (I have yet to figure out the size of a squirrel's ear exactly) and puts it into a more scientific framework of measurement. Pretty cool. (Hmm. Note to self. I wonder what phenology has to say about wooly worms?) In all fairness, the groundhog and shadow thing might be related to an old bit of lore about the spring, but in today's version I think that has been lost.
Phenology can be one of your most effective gardening tools. If you are not up to date on your phenology you might start with this set of phenology information links from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
Happy Gardening! MORE FLOWER GARDENS ARTICLES and FLOWER GARDENS BLOGS Copyright February 2 2007 Barbara Martin All Rights Reserved
