Phenology Friday
Noticings for the week of May 10-17, 2024 in Fairbanks, Alaska
I’ll be posting periodic “Phenology Friday” updates about what’s happening at the Farmstead. Phenology is “the study of phenomena or happenings. It is applied to the recording and study of the dates of recurrent natural events (such as the flowering of a plant or the first or last appearance of a migrant bird) in relation to seasonal climatic changes. Phenology thus combines ecology with meteorology.” (Britannica)
One of my favorite things about our farm is being able to watch how the land changes with the seasons. The changes can be subtle, but we are becoming more and more in tune with the land each year we are present. We pay attention to the seasons, the changes, the movements of birds, the ebb and flow of plant life, and how these happenings relate to the weather conditions. Writing these events down will help me keep a record and allow me to share these weekly updates! The event we are watching in early May is green-up.
Green-up is described as the phenomenon of a soft green blush over a hillside of deciduous trees. The official measurement has been observed on the West Chena Ridge slope since 1974 by the local branch of the National Weather Service. This year, green-up officially occurred in Fairbanks on Friday May 4! This measurement was on a south-facing slope, which receives the most sun and warms up the fastest, thus experiencing leaf-out the soonest. However, we didn’t see green-up on our northwest-facing slope until approximately a week later! This was due to an early May cold snap and snow storm (which I’m referring to as sixth winter) that delayed budburst and leaf-out. According to Jan Dawe of OneTree Alaska, we normally see green-up occur over a 24-48 hour period, but this year it occurred over the course of at least a week across the Fairbanks area.
Check out the photos below to see how green-up looks beneath the canopy at the Farmstead!
