The Nature of Phenology

08/06/2024

https://thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com/2024/06/08/episode-335-squid/

Longfin squid tend to spend most of their life in deep waters out of reach of most anglers whereas shortfin squid migrate into coves and bays in great numbers to spawn starting in late spring and e…

01/06/2024

These large moths are winged adults for just one week of the year, and now’s the time you might glimpse one....

These large moths are winged adults for just one week of the year, and now’s the time you might glimpse one.

31/05/2024

The last episode ( #337) of The Nature of Phenology will air 6/22/24 and we'll remove this page! So if you want to stay in the loop, subscribe at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com.

25/05/2024

If runny noses and itchy eyes aren’t a clear enough clue, evaporating puddles and the surfaces of vehicles reveal a yellow line of scum or dust that indicates just how many plants are flowering and releasing pollen....

If runny noses and itchy eyes aren’t a clear enough clue, evaporating puddles and the surfaces of vehicles reveal a yellow line of scum or dust that indicates just how many plants are flowering and…

18/05/2024

This aptly named native plant is no doubt living in a group near you. It’s time to go find some and see what they can teach you....

This aptly named native plant is no doubt living in a group near you. It’s time to go find some and see what they can teach you.

20/04/2024

They form in depressions in the forest floor and are large enough to last for a few months, but small enough that they tend to dry out by mid-summer. As a result, vernal pools have no fish in them. This lack of a key predator population makes them a perfect place for amphibians to breed....

They form in depressions in the forest floor and are large enough to last for a few months, but small enough that they tend to dry out by mid-summer. As a result, vernal pools have no fish in them.…

13/04/2024

While these birds are small and adorned with various subtle shades of brown and a pale eyebrow, they are anything but inconspicuous this time of year as males belt out long, beautiful songs that will stop you in your tracks....

While these birds are small and adorned with various subtle shades of brown and a pale eyebrow, they are anything but inconspicuous this time of year as males belt out long, beautiful songs that wi…

30/03/2024

It’s goldeneye courtship display season! And there are fourteen unique moves they do....

It’s goldeneye courtship display season! And there are fourteen unique moves they do.

09/03/2024

You know it when you see it: at the base of a tree trunk, perhaps even several in an area, the snow is stained yellow—is it tree p*e?...

You know it when you see it: at the base of a tree trunk, perhaps even several in an area, the snow is stained yellow—is it tree p*e?

02/03/2024

Voles are able to stay active in the winter, relying on stored food from the fall and also foraging food through the winter. When there’s a fluffy covering of snow, they thrive in the subnivean zone, that narrow space of warmer air between the surface of the ground and the snow cover, where they stay protected from the elements and from many predators....

Voles are able to stay active in the winter, relying on stored food from the fall and also foraging food through the winter. When there’s a fluffy covering of snow, they thrive in the subnivean zon…

24/02/2024

While red-breasted nuthatches are year-rounders here in Maine, on some winters when their food crop is low farther north, we may get even more of them from up north joining our populations....

While red-breasted nuthatches are year-rounders here in Maine, on some winters when their food crop is low farther north, we may get even more of them from up north joining our populations.

03/02/2024

There’s a reason these ducks are named after harlequins, the clown-like, pantomiming characters dressed in bright colors and checkered or diamond patterns, with notable physical agility....

There’s a reason these ducks are named after harlequins, the clown-like, pantomiming characters dressed in bright colors and checkered or diamond patterns, with notable physical agility.

20/01/2024

While the risk of predation may not be number one on a porcupine’s list of worries, winter may take its place....

While the risk of predation may not be number one on a porcupine’s list of worries, winter may take its place.

06/01/2024

So many popular children’s stories come from England, where stories about rabbits seem to run (hop?) rampant, wearing clothes, eating garden vegetables, and hiding underground. But our snowshoe hares are made of sturdier stock....

So many popular children’s stories come from England, where stories about rabbits seem to run (hop?) rampant, wearing clothes, eating garden vegetables, and hiding underground. But our snowshoe har…

23/12/2023

Rarely more than five inches tall, this lichen is such a pale shade of green it can sometimes appear white from afar under the right light. When wet, it feels leathery; when dry, it can feel crispy. Reindeer lichen, sometimes called reindeer moss, which is confusing because it’s not a moss, is densely bushy and branched, often growing in large mats on the forest floor....

Rarely more than five inches tall, this lichen is such a pale shade of green it can sometimes appear white from afar under the right light. When wet, it feels leathery; when dry, it can feel crispy…

02/12/2023

These are one of a few hawk species that overwinter here in Maine, though if their prey is scarce on a particular year, they will move much farther south than usual....

These are one of a few hawk species that overwinter here in Maine, though if their prey is scarce on a particular year, they will move much farther south than usual.

18/11/2023

An understanding of deer digestion and seasonal patterns highlights the eccentricities and harm that can come from feeding deer....

An understanding of deer digestion and seasonal patterns highlights the eccentricities and harm that can come from feeding deer.

04/11/2023

Most plants have gone to seed at this point in the fall, and burdock is one easy-to-recognize plant with a very creative seed-dispersal strategy....

Most plants have gone to seed at this point in the fall, and burdock is one easy-to-recognize plant with a very creative seed-dispersal strategy.

28/10/2023

Watch out for this beast of the north woods that haunts forgotten paths and leaves puzzling tracks....

Watch out for this beast of the north woods that haunts forgotten paths and leaves puzzling tracks.

07/10/2023

Wooly bears are on the move in order to find a spot to spend the winter as caterpillars,...

Wooly bears are on the move in order to find a spot to spend the winter as caterpillars,

30/09/2023

Picture a sparse cluster of tiny, dark turquoise goblets, no more than a centimeter tall and just half to one centimeter wide and you have an image of these mushrooms....

Picture a sparse cluster of tiny, dark turquoise goblets, no more than a centimeter tall and just half to one centimeter wide and you have an image of these mushrooms.

23/09/2023

These raptors have been spending the summer breeding season across most of northern North America, from Alaska to Nova Scotia. Right now, they’re migrating to their winter haunts as far south as northern South America....

These raptors have been spending the summer breeding season across most of northern North America, from Alaska to Nova Scotia. Right now, they’re migrating to their winter haunts as far south as no…

16/09/2023

Wildlife don’t appear to enjoy these beautiful berries much, which is why they can still be spotted one to two months after they initially formed....

Wildlife don’t appear to enjoy these beautiful berries much, which is why they can still be spotted one to two months after they initially formed.

15/09/2023

https://thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com/2023/09/09/episode-296-purple-pitcher-plants-flowering/

Now is the time to go find the nodding otherworldly flowers of a carnivorous pitcher plant in a bog near you.

15/09/2023

https://thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com/2023/08/19/episode-293-new-england-aster/

New England aster is so strongly appreciated by folks that many plant nurseries carry them for purchase—especially those specializing in native landscape plants.

02/09/2023

This native, woody vine has important wildlife value and is fruiting now....

This native, woody vine has important wildlife value and is fruiting now.

01/09/2023

Now is a perfect time of year to redouble your observational efforts as we transition into fall....

Now is a perfect time of year to redouble your observational efforts as we transition into fall.

12/08/2023

https://thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/episode-292-mycelium/

In the soils that surround roots, upwards of a third of the mass of the soil is fungal mycelium, which is the main body of a fungal network—a network that closely resembles the structure of our own…

05/08/2023

This is the perfect time to notice how the living things in these unique environments adapt not only to the constantly challenging conditions there, but also to the transition to a new season coming soon....

This is the perfect time to notice how the living things in these unique environments adapt not only to the constantly challenging conditions there, but also to the transition to a new season comin…

22/07/2023

Do you remember the first time you encountered a lily pad? Was it in real life or in a cartoon that featured a frog sitting on one?...

Do you remember the first time you encountered a lily pad? Was it in real life or in a cartoon that featured a frog sitting on one?