Nature
Delving into the near 3 million phenology records in the Nature’s Calendar database reveals a penchant for documenting spring events. Perhaps it is the fact that the sight of the first snowdrop, fresh green leaf or butterfly a flutter liſts our spirits aſter a long winter? We’re unsure exactly why recording spring events is more popular, but the difference is clear. Te Woodland Trust needs your help
to increase our records for autumn, so that we can better understand phenology throughout the year.
Tracking autumn events While spring brings the promise of new life, autumn reaps the rewards of growth and plants and animals prepare for the winter months. Te first plump ripe blackberry or shiny conker, the colour changing spectacle of leaves tinting followed by the first, then final leaf dropping from a tree. All these tell-tale signs of autumn can be recorded on Nature’s Calendar. Your autumn records help us to
answer important questions. What happens, for example, when autumn arrives early and plants like bramble and hazel fruit before the dormice are ready to hibernate?
Te plight of the hazel dormouse Nature’s Calendar data has been used to investigate how the timings of hazel dormouse hibernation match up with their food availability. As hazel nuts swell and blackberries ripen, hazel dormice are looking to get enough food to ensure their survival through the winter. Like hedgehogs and bats, these secretive rodents hibernate when food is scarce. Hazel dormice have an added
problem; they don’t eat grass and leaves because they can’t digest the cellulose in them. Instead, they need a sequence of flowers, insects, fruit and nuts to almost double their body weight before cosying down for the winter months. Understanding the
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timings of natural events can inform the management of hazel dormouse habitat in a changing climate. Te first time brambles have ripe
fruit is by far our most popular autumn event to record…Bramble is an important food source for many animals, giving a long crop through the autumn months. Hazel dormice eat the blackberries
as well as the bramble flowers. So having plenty of bramble plants in hedgerows and woodlands is really important for this little rodent. Hazel is less well recorded…the
more records we have with a better spread across the UK, the more reliable the data. Location is an important factor in phenology, so we really want to know what’s happening in every corner of the UK.
What can I record next? While spring records outstrip autumn ones, a look at our phenology calendar reveals there’s plenty to record later in the year, especially if you track the autumnal changes in local trees and shrubs. Why not follow a tree through
autumn and record all its events… right through to when the last leaf has dropped and the tree is bare. We suggest you find a tree that is local to you, so you can watch it closely for the first sign of each event.
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