Tuning In and Keeping Track: An Introduction to Phenology

Can you recall the last morning that wasn't filled with birdsong? Do you remember when you first noticed the buds emerging on maple trees in your neighborhood? Which day in April did your ears perk up to hear the spring peepers? When was the very first snowfall last year?

If you find yourself noticing, contemplating, and wondering about the subtle shifts and patterns in seasonal happenings, phenology is your friend. There is comfort in marking time and tuning into our natural environment, especially in turbulent times like these, and phenology can offer a great way to do so. 

Phenology is a fancy term that means the study of cycles and seasonal natural events. The word is built of two parts: "pheno" (phaino in Greek), which means "to show, to bring to light, to make to appear" and "-logy" of the root "logos," which means "study, discourse, or reasoning." It was first used in a public lecture in Brussels by Belgian botanist Charles François Antoine Morren in 1849.

However, phenological understandings have been fundamental to the human relationship with the land and environment. Indigenous peoples have used phenological knowledge in cultural, agricultural, and ecological practices for thousands of years. Here in Wisconsin, the College of Menominee Nation has recently created a Phenology Learning Path to honor the ways the Menominee have used nature's calendar to mark time and continue to track climate change impacts. 

In other locations, large scale changes over time have been tracked like in the Royal Meteorological Society's project that spanned 58 years of tracking of temperature and flowering events across the British Isles via 600 individual collectors from 1891-1948. Currently there are several networks collecting data via mostly volunteers in many countries, contributing to the understanding of climate change. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) maintains a database of observations collected by over 5,000 people who logged information on over 20,000 organisms and over 15,000 plants in 2020. It's fascinating to scroll through the lists of top animals and plants observed, and other information collected like initial growth in plants and migrating behavior. This information is referred to as phenophase data. For folks who enjoy diving deeply into data and data visualizations, this website has an amazing data visualization tool. 

For those of us who might appreciate a less formal approach, phenology in your own local habitat can be greatly rewarding. It can also be a fun activity to do with children. Start small and manageable, and you might be surprised at where this activity will take you in observing natural phenomena.

Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Choose something to observe that's personally interesting and readily available. It could be a bird species that visits your yard, a favorite tree, or a corner of the park with plants.

2. Set a plan to observe at least once a week. Daily would be ideal, but weekly observations will give you a great view of changes.

3. Find out a little more about the thing(s) you have chosen to observe. Species identification is a great first step, and if you can't figure it out by an internet search, reach out to a local naturalist as they love answering questions and sharing information.

4. Create a space to log your observations. This could be a file on your computer or phone, a simple notebook, or a blank calendar square. 5-year journals are easy to create using a template like this and a sturdy 2-inch, 3-ring binder. Since this calendar is organized by day, by the end of 5 years it allows users to see at a glance what was happening on that same date each year. 

5. Record your observations and some details about the weather or other important conditions you notice like time of day, activities around your focused area, and any changes you notice. If you have time or the ability to photograph or sketch your observation, this can add to your record.

6. Consider joining with others to share observations. The Nature's Notebook website hosted by the USA-NPN has several campaigns including monitoring bats, pollinators, and pests. Individual data is personally meaningful, but sharing it as a citizen scientist has the potential to create a volume of data that is relevant in tracking change over time. 

Aldo Leopold, widely considered to be the Father of wildlife ecology, was an avid phenologist. The Aldo Leopold Foundation creates a phenology calendar every year. Visit their resources more information about the 2021 calendar and the role that Leopold himself played in promoting phenology as a way of connecting with our environment. 

We are all phenologists to varying degrees in our own lives, noticing subtle changes across time in ourselves and in our environment. In a time where so much has changed and shifted in sudden ways, tuning our focus to the rhythms and patterns of the natural world can offer a steadying respite. The simple practices of phenology might provide new, welcoming, and interesting insights in the year ahead. 

Animals Toughing It Out: Resisting the Stresses of Winter to be Active, Part 2

                                    Guest post by KVR Instructor, Cathy Chybowski

            Photo of Ruffed Grouse Courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org                                 

Like animals that migrate or hibernate, animals that are active in the winter have evolved key adaptations that help them avoid or confront harsh conditions. An adaptation can simply be making use of fur, fat, or feathers. Mammals grow heavy undercoats and long hollow guard hairs to trap air for better insulation. Birds can fluff out their feathers or tuck their heads under their wings for warmth. A grouse spends the day foraging and filling its crop with food. Then it dives or burrows into deep snow, slowly digesting its food, warm beneath a blanket of snow.  

Animals living farther north tend to have larger bodies and smaller appendages. A large body loses heat more slowly than a small body. Shorter appendages radiate less heat than longer ones. Many animals living in the north turn white in winter. The obvious advantage is camouflage for both predator or prey. But another advantage is that white feathers and fur contain more air than pigment so provide better insulation than fur or feathers with color. In summary, it is better to be big and white in winter. Think polar bear! It has a large body, short ears, tail and legs, and white fur. It is perfectly adapted for living in a cold, snowy landscape.

Snow is a mixed blessing. For small mammals like voles, it can provide both insulation and protection from predators. For animals like deer, it can make travel difficult.

The meadow vole, sometimes called a field mouse, spends most of the winter under the snow in a system of tunnels leading to a communal nest. It is an exception to the “better to be big and white” rule.

Photo of Meadow Vole courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org 

To compensate for its small size and brown color, it actually loses weight before winter in order to reduce its need for food. Because it is an important part of the food web, it seldom ventures above the snow. Still, foxes and coyotes hear voles moving under the snow, jump up and down to collapse their burrows, trapping them and then retrieving them. Two to three months before the snow has melted, still snug and protected, voles begin to reproduce. A young female can mate at one month of age and produce as many as 17 litters per year with 5 or more young per litter. Look for the tracks of these small mammals on top of the snow or the quarter-sized entrance holes to their tunnels beneath the snow. As the snow melts, the topless tunnels reveal well-traveled runways beneath.

The white-tailed deer is an energy conservation specialist. Whenever possible, it does not expend more energy than it takes in. It grows a thick, woolly underfur and an outer fur with long hollow guard hairs for insulation and it relies on fat reserves built up in the warm months to fuel its activities in the winter. When the snow is deep, deer yard up and follow well worn paths to evade predators and conserve energy. Their digestive system changes to accommodate a change in diet—grazing in the warm months to browsing in the winter months due to the snow cover. When you are outside, look for deer browse, tracks, scat, beds, buck rubs, or antlers usually shed in late winter.

Photo of White-Tailed Deer Courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org 

As a group, birds face three obstacles to winter survival: cold temperatures, starvation, and predation. Birds have a higher metabolic rate and a higher body temperature than mammals, therefore making surviving the cold more difficult.The food supply is diminished and often unreliable. Snow can limit access to otherwise available food.  Predators are ever present.  Small birds like chickadees, nuthatches, kinglets, brown creepers and titmice join mixed flocks. More eyes reduce the possibility of a predator attack and broadens the search for food. Sometimes these flocks even roost together in a tree cavity, bluebird nest box, or other shelter. Some birds like blue jays, chickadees and nuthatches store food for later consumption and many birds frequent our feeders when the weather turns harsh or there is deep snow cover.

The black-capped chickadee is another exception to the “better to be big and white” rule. In order to maintain its body temperature in winter, it requires 20 times more food than in the summer.  How do they do it? Among the chickadee’s amazing physical feats is its ability to forage while hanging upside down and moving every which way, foraging for eggs and larvae of insects in bark crevices. Could this acrobatic method be an adaptation for winter feeding when snow covers the tops of branches, chickadees can still gather food from beneath?

Photo of Black-Capped Chickadee courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org 

Unlike mammals, birds do not grow extra feathers for warmth in the winter.  Instead, they fluff their feathers to trap more air for added insulation, often tuck their heads under their wings, and huddle together under an evergreen bough with a snowy canopy.  

Aldo Leopold writes in A Sand County Almanac: “I suspect that in the chickadee Sunday School two mortal sins are taught: thou shalt not venture into windy places in winter, thou shalt not get wet before a blizzard.” Apparently a chickadee survives a frigid 16-hour night by doing lots of little things just right. As these tiny creatures wake with the sunrise, they begin foraging and this becomes the order of their day. By late afternoon they are “bulging with fat” which provides insulation. As the sun sets they lower their temperature as much as 15 degrees, settling into a nightly hypothermia, fluffing, tucking, and huddling till sunrise again, when the fat is depleted. Repeat. Repeat every 24 hours; it is a matter of survival. When you are out, listen for the chickadee’s voice and watch for their quick movements.

The next time you reach to turn the thermostat up, think about the challenges that animals face for winter survival and some of the amazing adaptations and strategies they have evolved to deal with them.

***

We love the resources at EEK! Wisconsin, Environmental Education for Kids. They are hosting a live reading on December 2, 2020, at 10 AM CT, by author Laureanna Raymond-Duvernell from her book, Under the Mud, about 10 different animals and their winter survival adaptations. For more information or to register visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-edventure-read-aloud-under-in-the-mud-tickets-127366770439 This event would be great for students in grades 3-8, and it is free. Educators are encouraged to register for their classes. Homeschooling and schooling-at-home families might enjoy this, too!

How do they do it? Part 1

Guest post by KVR Instructor, Cathy Chybowski

As the days become shorter and the temperature drops, animals have three options in order to survive: migrate, hibernate or remain active. These strategies along with essential adaptations help animals to survive the cold season.   

 photo credit: freepik.com

Migration: An Easy Out?

Migration can be quite risky. The energy cost of migration is high and there can be many obstacles along the route. Most animals spend time in a feeding frenzy prior to migrating. This added fat will fuel their movement to an area with sufficient food. For hummingbirds, warblers, flycatchers and other birds that lose their food source with the onset of winter, migration is a necessary risk. Large bodies of water, a changing food supply, predators or hunting can make the trip challenging.

Did you ever wonder why it is mostly birds that migrate? Why so few mammals? According to Peter Marchand in his book, Life in the Cold, a mammal would expend ten times more energy moving a given distance by running than would a bird of equal weight flying that same distance. Bats and caribou are exceptions. For more information on bats and insects that migrate see a previous post I shared in August.

Hibernation? Dormancy? What is the difference?

Dormancy is one of the three strategies animals evolved for winter survival. It is a period of inactivity in which an animal’s bodily functions are slowed down. By definition, hibernation is an extreme form of dormancy. Woodchucks, bats and jumping mice are among the few mammals in our state to hibernate.  

 photo credit: WI DNR

As an herbivore, the woodchuck’s life is centered on the availability of plants. Feeding heavily during late summer into fall, it accumulates thick rolls of body fat and then retires to its burrow usually by the end of October. While hibernating, its heart rate drops from 75 beats to 4 beats per minute, its body temperature drops from 90 to 38 degrees, and it breathes once every 5 to 6 minutes. If the woodchuck can maintain this state of low metabolism for several months without freezing to death, it will usually emerge from its burrow during the first week of March (not like Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2). 

There are degrees of dormancy, from the true hibernation of the woodchuck at one extreme, to the deep sleep of bears and chipmunks, and to the short term sleep of skunks, opossums and raccoons. In all forms of dormancy, the metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy at a time when food is scarce.

   photo credit: bearstudy.org

Research shows that the black bear does not hibernate; its body does not undergo the drastic changes of a true hibernator. In order to prepare for its deep winter sleep, bears spend the fall in a feeding frenzy putting on several inches of body fat and growing a thicker fur. While in the den, the sow gives birth to 2-3 cubs which do not hibernate either. During this state of dormancy, the bear does not eat or drink, it does not produce waste and it does not lose bone or muscle mass despite the lack of exercise. How do they do it?  These unique adaptations are of interest to medical science. There is more to learn about black bears—how is it that they can survive a 5-month rest and fast and emerge from their den with a 99% survival rate?  Apparently there are few people willing to crawl headfirst into an active bear den in the winter to see just how cozy everything is in there!

    photo credit: WI DNR

Chipmunks spend much of the fall collecting seeds and nuts for storage in their underground burrow where they spend most of the winter in dormancy. The stored food gives them the option of waking and being active for a time; I was surprised to see a chipmunk out and about during a January thaw. No true hibernator could do this.

  photo credit: WI DNR

Unlike mammals, reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded. Their options for winter survival are few. Since their body temperature drops with the outside temperature, they will freeze to death if they do not hibernate or go dormant in some form. Most frogs and turtles hibernate in the mud at the bottom of the pond or lake. Wood frogs are an exception, burrowing under damp leaves and into the soft soil of the forest floor. The wood frog produces an antifreeze which prevents its cells from freezing. Much of the body fluids outside the cells will freeze as will the frog’s eyes and brain. Its heart and lungs will stop. This “frogsicle” looks lifeless, but with the arrival of spring, it thaws quickly and is the first frog to emerge from hibernation. It is no wonder that the first frog we hear calling in the early spring is the wood frog. When the ice recedes and the water warms to 46 degrees, these frogs begin to call for a mate.

Snakes, cold-blooded reptiles, generally hibernate in dens or burrows of other animals, sometimes in groups of mixed species.  These are called balls of snakes and it is an amazing thing to see in the spring as these reptiles emerge from their hibernaculum. I witnessed dozens of garter snakes emerging this way one time in southeastern Wisconsin. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Stay tuned for Part 2, Animals Toughing It Out, in the weeks to come!

Risk and Play

The Kickapoo Valley Forest School Leadership Team and Governance Council members recently attended a professional development training on risk and play in early childhood with Ross Thompson, M.Ed., an early childhood educator and teaching specialist. Ross shared some important perspectives and considerations for our team as we build the culture of forest schooling in our region. We have a few highlights that we'd like to share with our outdoor learning community.

When it comes to defining risk and play, everyone has their own internal risk calculator. As Ross pointed out, "Risky play depends on who is playing and how they feel." One person may think climbing a tree feels risky, while another person may think speaking out loud in front of a group feels like a big risk. For those of us who work and care for children, considering risk from the standpoint of how we personally view risk is an important first step. 

How did you play as a child? What experiences did you have that involved risk for you? Were they physical, social, emotional? 

As we consider how our own experiences inform how we work with children, it's important to understand that our concern for the risks of a particular situation may be tied more directly to our own experiences than to the reality of our children's experiences. 

Creating an environment where children can safely explore is essential to building strong bodies and critical thinkers. When the environment is controlled to eliminate any or all risks, children may lose some of their ability to weigh, ponder, and consider their actions and decisions. 

This doesn't mean that anything goes! In fact, it requires the adults in a caregiving environment to be vigilant and engaged in assessing risk but to do so in collaboration with children. Forest schooling is an amazing opportunity to provide children with natural risk-taking opportunities through lots of opportunities to watch, try, practice, and master many things that might be considered too risky in other learning environments. 

For example, many children love to climb and experience height. Rather than telling them it isn't safe to climb a tree or to rely on the common refrain of, "Be careful!" how might we help them consider the finer points of climbing? We could try asking questions like, 

"How can you check that the branches will hold you?" 

"What's your plan for climbing down?"

Another important point Ross shared is that while risky play often challenges our comfort zones, it should never be dangerous, terrifying, anxiety-provoking, or forced. Children thrive in environments that allow them to take their time and approach a challenge on their own terms. For some children, this might mean watching other children for an extended amount of time before feeling ready to try. Ross shared a great example of a variety of stumps placed in a learning space. Some children feel ready to jump off the tallest stump, and others need lots and lots of practice on the lower stumps. The benefits of having multi-age groups exploring and learning together reinforces the need for some children to play with more risk, and others to watch and observe on their own time. 

During our training session, we learned more about how play that involves risk helps develop motor skills, social and emotional frameworks, creativity, and cognitive capacity in young children. We look forward to sharing more about how risk, play, and forest schooling intersect at an upcoming KVFS Virtual Roundtable event on November 17, 2020. Visit our website at kickapoovalleyforestschool.org for the link. 

For more information about Ross Thompson's work, check out his podcast, Teaching with the Body in Mind, and visit the associated Facebook page. 

Outdoor Learning Highlight: La Farge Schools

Outdoor Learning Highlight: La Farge Schools 

This fall our current context has highlighted the benefits of outdoor learning in new ways. For La Farge Schools students and teachers, incorporating the natural world into academic pursuits is nothing new. Inspired by our beautiful surroundings, LFS teachers frequently make opportunities for students to apply new concepts within our local context. 

Learning outside spans a variety of different content areas within our 4K - 12th grade school. We've shared some highlights here in the spirit of getting outdoors to build context and experiential learning for students.

Early Literacy (4K - K) One of the primary components of becoming a reader is learning letter names and sounds. LFS early childhood teachers often embed these skills within outdoor learning. Attention to shapes and the differences among them is a great introduction to the alphabet and helps children learn how to distinguish between letters. La Farge Schools’ early literacy teachers have embedded these skills within outdoor learning experiences in several ways. Teachers take young children outside to look for letter shapes in natural items, such as forked stick shaped like a Y, or a smooth rock reminiscent of an O.

Recently, our preschool teacher, Mrs. Greenwood, took young learners outside to collect leaves, which they glued onto a line-drawn L. These “L is for Leaf” pages will be combined with other letter/contextual item pages to make a real-world alphabet book for each child.

High School Agricultural Education: Natural Resources

Mr. Fowell regularly visits the La Farge School Garden to plant and harvest with his agricultural science students, as well as to identify weeds. Additionally, he and his classes often travel to the nearby Kickapoo Valley Reserve for class-embedded activities such as bird identification, duck house maintenance, pheasant release, tree identification, and more. 

High School Social Studies

History teacher Amy Lund regularly has her students practice outdoor surveying, and her classes go on walking tours of the town. As a part of her Local and/or Wisconsin History courses, she takes students on walking field trips of the local cemeteries and frequently relies on the expertise of local historian Brad Steinmetz pictured below with students this week on a visit to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve dam site.

Middle School Math

Mr. Chroninger often takes his students on "fraction walks" where they look for collections of items with the natural world around them to practice mathematical concepts. For example, he may ask students to find the ratio of oak trees to pine trees in a particular section of the park adjacent to our school. Taking students outside to collect, measure, compare, and graph gives students real-world applications.