The Sounds of Phenology

Okay, so I've got this amazing spot all by my lonesome self on the creek, right next to this gigantic, looming tree (tree identification is not my specialty), where I record the daily lives of every single living or not living thing in the area. This is where I do this snazzy thing called phenology, which is when you watch an specific area for an indefinite amount of time and record EVERYTHING that happens there. If there is a misplaced branch, you record it. If there is even the slightest of a breeze, you record it. If the creek drops a few centimeters in water, you record it. It's also something you do generally at the same time of the day to keep the data even as possible. Now as boring as that may sound, it's actually really interesting what can happen when you're not there observing overnight.



Since we live in Montana, known for it's unstable weather patterns, it's never the same thing twice when we go out to record. Sometimes, like last November, it'll be 64 degrees Fahrenheit and we'll be seeing the sweet green grass under our shoes. Then there are days in December, when not as much writing was done as shivering and slipping on the ice. The amazing thing is that my surroundings truly adapt to this craziness we call "normal." 

There is this process we do called sound tapestry, where we basically listen to all the sounds and noises that occur within a fifteen minute time frame. You then record what the sounds appear to YOU, by following the flow of their patterns and mimic it with a design that represents it. This just so happens to be my favorite part of phenology because not only does it show how the outside noise change over time, but it also the most entertaining to look back to.