Do April showers still bring May flowers?
A program this morning at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library may provide an answer.
“Phenology in a Changing Climate” will examine how plant cycles are affected by weather and climate. The program is scheduled for today ( Saturday, April 1) from 11 a.m. to noon. A similar program was on the Library’s Friday afternoon schedule. Both featured Mark D. Schwartz, phenoclimatologist and Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Phenology is the study of recurring plant and animal cycle stages.
Schwartz is the current president of the International Society of Biometeorology, and co-founder of the USA National Phenology Network. The Library programs are co-sponsored by the Eau Claire Garden Club. No registration is required.
According to the USA Phenology Network website: “Phenology is nature’s calendar” and determines “when cherry trees bloom, when a robin builds its nest and when leaves turn color in the fall.”
To better understand such changes, the organization developed “Nature’s Notebook,” a project focused on collecting standardized ground observations of phenology by researchers, students and volunteers.
Attendees at the Library program will learn:
· How changes in the start of the growing season have played out over the last century, especially in North America.
· How the start and end of the growing season can be measured in different and complementary ways.
· How to observe and record observations from the start and end of the growing season in our area, as well as other phenological events.
Further information is available at the Library’s Information & Reference desk, by calling 715-839-5004, or via e-mail to librarian@eauclaire.lib.wi.us