Despite this year’s drawn out winter, there are signs of spring popping out all around us. Snow banks are receding to clear way for sprouting plants, and trees are stretching their weathered branches in the warm sunshine. Environmental changes such as these are annual, cyclic occurrences and they signal the coming and going of seasons. This is also called phenology, which is the study of these recurrent cycles.
We’ve put together a few activities and resources about phenology and the biological effects it has in the environment, such as the plants and animals that begin to reappear as spring moves in. You can still connect with nature, even amidst COVID-19!
Enhance Habitat and Identify Wildlife in Your Area
If you’re looking to enhance natural habitat in your area for the purposes of observation or just to help out your local wildlife (or just because it’s fun!), here are some ideas:
Bats:
Local bats, like the Little Brown Bat, can be welcomed like neighbours as they start to reappear after winter. Bats are insectivores, which means that they eat insects like mosquitoes and moths (trust us, you want these guys around!).
Bat boxes are a great way to encourage bats to roost in your area so that you can monitor them (learn how to build one here), and it also provides habitat which helps to keep them safe and happy.
The Alberta Community Bat Program has wonderful citizen science opportunities that teach you how to monitor and report bat activity in your area. Learn about how you can participate here!
Pollinators:
Waking slowly in the shy spring sun are our much anticipated pollinators!
To increase pollinator habitat in your area, try incorporating native plants into your garden and yard. These provide food sources and habitat for pollinators. For great ideas on spring garden planning, check out our blog posts: Plant This, Not That!
If you’re keen on bees, consider building them a permanent home by constructing a bee hotel to put up in your area. These structures create habitat for solitary bees, those that live and forage on their own and not with a hive, so that they can lay their eggs throughout the summer.
Already have a bee hotel? Don’t forget to do your annual maintenance to ensure that your hotel stays clean and disease-free for the bees, and report your findings to our Bee Hotel Monitoring database!
Birds:
The birds are coming back and they’re looking for homes after their long migratory travels. If you’d like to welcome some of these bright creatures into your area or learn about local species, here are a few tips:
If you’ve got a few screws and scraps of wood on hand, you’re all set to build a nest box! From ducks, to owls, to chickadees, we have plenty of blueprints to work with -check them out here!
Bird watching is fun and a great addition to your phenology journal. To find information on birds in your area or to take online bird courses, you can visit Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
If you’re really in the birding spirit, Project Feederwatch is a citizen science research project aimed at protecting winter bird populations. You can get involved by following this link.
The Alberta Conservation Society monitors peregrine falcons in the Edmonton area with their wildlife cameras, stationed around the city to capture the falcons fighting for mates and raising their young. Tune in here near the end of April to see what the falcons are up too this year!
Phenology Journal
Keeping a journal of what is happening around you is a great way of keeping track of the seasonal changes. This can be a really creative project because you can include cuttings, flowers, leaves and other objects in your journal, or you can draw and detail what you see. This guide can help you identify common native trees and shrubs to get you started.
Here’s how to do it:
Pick a location near your home.
Spend some time in this location, visiting it daily or every few days to document what you see.
Some things to consider are:
The weather
The temperature
The time
What sort of plants are growing here? How fast are they growing?
Are there any signs of birds, insects, or other animals?
What smells are around?
Do you notice any sounds?
Photo retrieved from Loop Knit Lounge
Identifying your observations is as important as documenting them. Consult our species spotlight blog and our identification guides to learn your local wildlife residents. You may be surprised with how much life, activity, and change surrounds you!