Yellowstone Phenology
Tracking the Seasonal ChangesWhat’s it like this time of year?
Phenology:
Recording the dates of first (and last) occurrence of biological events in their annual cycle and the study of the effects of the seasons on plants and animals.
Or more simply put, it’s the calendar that nature uses.
Use these pages to get a better idea of what you might see in the different months in the greater Yellowstone area. Each page has a slideshow of images. If you have observations you’d like to submit, just contact me.
Field Journaling Phenology
Repeat Photography Fall Project
I lived in Colorado most of my life, and I find myself missing time wandering through the mountains to drink in the color of the aspen in fall. Most every year there, the peak color fell on this week - from about the 20th to the 30th. In the posts this week, I'm...
What’s August Like in Yellowstone?
What is it like during August in Yellowstone? When is the best time to see Yellowstone? These questions regularly arise when people plan their vacation to Yellowstone. This post is part of a series that covers what it’s like in the park during different months. Today,...
What’s June like in Yellowstone?
What is it like during June in Yellowstone? When is the best time to see Yellowstone? These questions regularly arise when people plan their vacation to Yellowstone. This post is the part of a series that covers what it’s like in the park during different months....
What’s May like in Yellowstone?
What is it like during May in Yellowstone? When is the best time to see Yellowstone? These questions regularly arise when people plan their vacation to Yellowstone. This post is the first of a series that will cover what it’s like in the park during different months....
Phenology Report for Mid-April 2020
April is such a fantastic month in Wyoming. It's when we alternate between snow showers and warm, sunny spring days. At the first of the month, everything is brown, but by the end, the white snows melt into the landscape to turn it green. I want to take a few minutes...
Phenology field journal example for crabapple trees 2019
It’s a typical spring here in the Cody/Yellowstone area – a few tremendously beautiful spring days and then another round of cold and wet weather. It’s spring in the west. During those few glorious days, the blooming trees here in town just unfolded into the warmth. I...
Spring Watch update for early April 2019
In the past week and a half, a lot has changed. Spring has arrived and with it, the moisture that brings life out here in the west. Snow is melting fast, and temperatures have just touched the 60s. There’s another storm on the way to remind us it’s still spring – when...
Spring Watch Update – Late March 2019
Ah, the joys of spring! Yesterday evening I took a drive out to check the spots where I’ve first seen Sandhill cranes in previous years. I’ve been taking these drives as often as possible, but with the later blasts of winter we’ve had here in the greater Yellowstone...
Looking for Spring 2019
As spring starts to arrive here in the Greater Yellowstone Area, I thought I’d share some of the notes I’ve taken along with thoughts about how I make it through a harder winter with little impatience by keeping a nature journal that uses the seasons as it’s...
Welcome March 2019!
Happy March! And happy birthday, Yellowstone! 147 years old and going strong. Today they start to plow the roads for the summer season! While the winter season isn’t quite over yet, it’s time to wind down. You can check the opening and closing dates here. This post...
Welcome September 2018!
Ah – September, so glad to see you! It’s going to be a glorious month. The month started off great for me with an eruption from Giant Geyser. This is the month that we have days without a cloud in the sky, the chill of fall is in the air each morning and warms each...
Phenology Report Mid August 2018
This morning as the world began to lighten, I looked out the window. While sipping my morning cup of tea and welcoming the day, I couldn’t decide if it would dawn clear or cloudy. Then the orange circle of the sun popped up through the trees confirming it’s another...
Loving the Spring Snow!
It’s snowing again this morning and I love it. I know, most everyone is really tired of the snow, but honestly, I think these last snows of winter are as magical as the first ones. We have the “all’s well with the world” huge flakes coming down – you know, the same...
Bring more nature into your everyday life
The other morning my Mom shared with me a moment she took from her day to watch the Northern flickers at the Kestrel box that sits outside our house right outside some tinted windows upstairs that makes viewing fairly easy without them reacting to us. We had a pair...
Waiting for Spring
The other day while talking with a friend, she mentioned she’s looking forward to this spring. I understand that – ready to “get to the good stuff” – but this is precisely one reason I started a phenology journal. For so long it seemed that one moment it was spring...