Last Thursday, I was invited to the Oldenburg House for a presentation on “Phenology – Document Spring” by Betsy Dugan, a practitioner of backyard phenology.

Since I had no idea what phenology meant, I looked it up on my phone. It is “the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life” (USA National Phenology Network).

I think I like Betsy Dugan’s definition better. She explained that it is the timing of nature’s calendar: the plant and animal life cycles and stages. The first phenology observation recorded was in...