It’s officially fall, which means 2020 is coming to a close – and the Aldo Leopold Foundation is proud to announce the 2021 edition of the ever-popular Phenology Calendar! Relish in the joys of a new calendar while enjoying stunning photography of phenological events each month with the 2021 Phenology Calendar: Interpreting Phenological Records.
The 2021 Calendar is now available! BUY NOW
Phenology is the timing of seasonal events in nature, and this year has been full of looking outside. Did you notice robin’s eggs in May? Sunflowers blooming in July? The 2021 Phenology Calendar focuses on interpreting phenological records and will assist you in better understanding the context of many phenological events as you plan out your year.
Dr. Stan Temple, Aldo Leopold Foundation senior fellow and Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Famer, will lead you through 2021 with introductory text and monthly sidebar panels explaining iconic phenological events each month. Taking note of Aldo Leopold’s own love of recording phenological records, Dr. Temple focuses this year on the observer’s role in tracking phenology. For the reader, what begins as a hobby may blossom into important scientific discoveries, just as Leopold’s affinity for tracking phenological events in his childhood journals eventually fueled important essays such as his 1947 essay, “A Phenological Record for Sauk & Dane Counties.” While this essay wasn’t notable at the time, it has since proven essential in tracking the effects of climate change in Southern Wisconsin.
Left: Aldo Leopold journaling at Shack, Right: Leopold’s phenological records, 1899
“Our biases are indeed a sensitive index to our affections, our tastes, our loyalties, our generosities, and our manner of wasting week-ends.” -Aldo Leopold, “Axe-in-Hand”
Just as Leopold expressed in his essay, “Axe-In-Hand,” our personal biases inform how we interact with the world around us. This includes phenology: many factors inform how the observer tracks phenology, including latitude and longitude, weather, and the observer’s own skill level. For example, Leopold and his students at UW-Madison often recorded phenological events earlier than the Leopold family might record when visiting the Shack forty miles north. While the calendar is based on phenological records in Wisconsin, there is a complementary guide using Hopkins’ Law which will allow you to understand phenology in your own backyard, no matter where you live! Perhaps phenology will creep its way into how you choose to waste your 2021 week-ends.
Can’t wait to get your hands on the 2021 Phenology Calendar? This year, you can secure your calendar starting October 1st, 2020, with the calendar’s first-ever presale! Once November 1st hits, calendars will only be available while supplies last. Kick-off the new year with a calendar that draws on years of phenological records from Aldo Leopold, Nina Leopold Bradley, and the Aldo Leopold Foundation Staff, and join in on the fun by starting your own phenological records, using the calendar as your guide!
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Don’t wait to secure your copy; the 2021 Phenology Calendar is on sale now and going fast! Buy Now