Skip to main content Skip to footer

Northern Ecology

Autumn Phenology in the Field: Fall Colors and Beyond

Course Overview

Nature has its own rhythms and these days, it can be hard to predict! Phenology is the recording of the natural calendar—the migrating times of various birds, lake ice-outs and freeze-ups, blooming dates of wildflowers, harvest times for crops, and tree leaves changing color in the fall are all events that help us understand the pulse of the landscape. Join co-author of the Minnesota Weatherguide Environment Calendar Jim Gilbert for a hands-on exploration of fall phenological events on the North Shore. We’ll go into the field to observe what’s happening in a variety of habitats, including wildflower and other plant identification, as well as observation of birds, insects and the water. Since long-term phenology monitoring helps us keep track of the changing world, the events that we observe and record during this class will be compared with several years in the past. Jim will get you started with your own phenology journal or list of nature’s happenings, which will draw you deeper into a relationship with the environment. This new course comes by popular demand from the students enrolled in Jim’s popular spring phenology course.

Currently Scheduled Sessions


No sessions currently scheduled for this course.

View more courses in the Northern Ecology category.