RE: Using Phenology To Better Understand Your Land
You very effectively brought us back to a very important topic. Well done.
While "phenology" is a more precise term, the skill of "seeing" is what many have lost. Too many people lives their live based on what they have learned through their intellect rather than what they have experienced with their senses. I'm not opposed to intellect at all; but it does have a proper place.
It's the difference between receiving what we actually are observing versus what we think we see. If our world is a complex of interactions among ALL the members which needs to be in balance then our first step in understanding is to simply observe. Observe with NO preconceived notions (like the ones we were taught).
I had an experience early on that taught me the importance of seeing. An old farmer mentioned to his son that the combine was broken. The college educated son immediately replied with a series of questions. The old farmer just looked at him and said, "Go look at it and you'll understand!" (True story)
If you want to know about your land, your health, your life then "go look at it."
Agreed, @yulem. I see encouraging people to try out phenology as a gateway to encourage them to just go out and do. As a society, we're so disconnected from the outside that sometimes you need a scaffold to help you venture out again. Like I said in the article, my favorite way to observe my land is to go out, walk around, and sketch it. Sometimes the scientific data gets in there, and sometimes I just end up drawing hummingbirds. :)