On this episode: Phenology, the timing of nature. We’ll talk about what’s going on right here in the North Fork and worldwide, answering some of the questions you brought us here at the station and at iseechange.org.
KVNF's Jake Ryan sat down with David Inouye, a retired professor who spent over 45 years studying wildflowers and other species at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.
They were also joined by Jake Weltzin, a US Geological Survey ecologist as well as the Executive Director of the USA National Phenology Network, a program that uses citizen science to track and aggregate natural events.
Listen below to hear the discussion about what's happening now, and what the future will hold.
Key notes from the discussion:
- Different plants and animals are keen to different triggers in nature, so climate change can and is causing missed connections - flowers and bees for example.
- Although temperatures are warming every year, they're also becoming more 'swingy' and unpredictable. Warmer springs will bring earlier blooms, but it can still dip into hard freezes.
- New breeds of fruit trees and other crops may be needed going into the future. An untold number of species will need to adapt, including us.
