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
Late March 2017 Phenology Report
It’s been a gray, drizzly day today as I write this and the driveway is full of fallen catkins from the neighbor’s aspen trees. Tomorrow has the forecast of snow showers followed by a day of sun and yet another system to move in after that. Daffodils and crocuses are...
March 11 – Saturday Phenology Drive
The bluebirds are back! The image above comes from a friend of mine out in Wapiti who reported seeing the first ones arrive on March 10 this year. Often it’s just the males first, but this year quite a few pairs showed up together and already house hunting. So...
Looking for Bluebirds on South Fork
Starting a phenology journal is as simple as noting when you observe the firsts of the year. And the Mountain Bluebirds should show up in the greater Yellowstone area anytime in the next week or so. Each year you make notes of the firsts, you go back through and start...
Seeing Signs of Spring
They’re coming! The Mountain Bluebirds are on their way. It’s the surest sign of spring we all look for out here and an email list came through today saying they saw the first ones outside of Laramie. Next they should be seen in the Casper area and then the...
Where have all the rabbits gone?
11 Feb 2017 | Ever since the last few snow storms that moved through, the rabbits we would regularly see have all disappeared. In fact, the past few days, I continually look specifically for them and find none. Then last night while taking Rhad out (my corgi that’s...
Looking For Spring
The chinook winds are (still) blowing this morning as I write and the streets in town that were full of water yesterday are drying out. The winds have melted the 8″ or so we got from the last storm and are working on the snow left from December. Friends mentioned...
Needle Ice at West Thumb Geyser Basin
When I was at West Thumb Geyser Basin not long ago, I noticed strands of frost rising a couple of inches from the ground in many spots. I soon found myself kneeling on the boardwalk to get some closer photos and to really look at this. I remembered reading about frost...