Summer Phenology Notes

Phenology is the study of the times when natural phenomena occur and the observation of seasonal changes. Phenology is nature's calendar: when flowers bloom, leaves break bud, when birds begin migrating, when leaves change color and begin to fall. We study phenology to better understand the abundance and distribution of different species, food web interactions, global water cycles, and more. Farmers and gardeners use phenology to develop a planting schedule and decide when to apply fertilizers and pesticides. Researchers are using changes in phenology as an indicator of the vulnerability of species and communities to changes in climate.

We invite you to use this collection of notes to deepen your connection to the woods and wildlife around you. These notes can help you pay attention to the natural cycles and processes that happen throughout the year. Make your own notes and compare them from year to year. This spring edition of phenology notes is the first of four quarterly articles that will be released with each changing season.

July Phenology Notes

Birds

Songbirds are noticeably quieter, though some—including wood thrushes—continue to sing. Hermit thrushes, eastern wood-pewees, and red-eyed vireos are also still vocal. Yellow-billed and black-billed cuckoos lay a second clutch of 5-11 eggs where caterpillars are plentiful. Black-billed cuckoos are found more in mature, open woods while the yellow-billed cuckoo frequents orchards and scrubby edge habitat.

Mammals

Chipmunks undergo a second courting and mating season. On the hottest days, they spend more time underground. This retreat to underground habitat to escape heat stress is known as aestivation.

Plants

Indian pipes emerge from leaf litter in mixed hardwood forests, especially among oaks and beeches. Sometimes mistaken for a fungus, it is a plant that lacks chlorophyll. It grows as a single, white, waxy stem with a bell-shaped flower curved downward. After the flower is pollinated, it turns upright and develops a seed before the plant dries. Red and black raspberry shrubs may be finished fruiting now, but blackberries ripen to fill the void. Look for blackberry canes in open areas and along woodland edges.

Insects

Watch the woodland floor for the ground-nesting wasp (Cerceris fumipennis) busy stocking the nest before she lays eggs. The female wasp hunts certain types of woodland beetles, including the emerald ash borer. She captures the beetles, paralyzes them, and then stores them in the nest for young to feed on as they develop from egg to adult wasps.

Fungi

After a good rain, look for chanterelles, black trumpet, and oyster mushrooms. Chanterelles grow on the soil and have ridges underneath the cap, rather than distinct gills. The poisonous and bioluminescent Jack-o'-lantern mushroom has distinct gills and grows on wood stumps.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Tiny toadlets are hopping about. Eastern box turtles seek wet areas to soak themselves on very hot days—sometimes for several weeks. If the ground is dry, they may aestivate underground.

August Phenology Notes

Birds

Hummingbirds are finding new sources of nectar as early and mid-summer blooms fade. The flowers of jewelweed (spotted touch-me-not) are shaped well for hummingbirds to access their nectar. In doing so, hummingbirds also serve as one of the main pollinators of jewelweed. Other summer visitors are beginning to head south in earnest, now, especially shorebirds.

Mammals

In white-tailed deer, testosterone is rising as the bucks prepare for mating season. Their antlers are now hardened, and bucks are beginning to remove the antler velvet by rubbing against tree branches. Fox pups are leaving the dens with their mothers.

Plants

Spicebush berries are formed, as are elderberry fruits. On the forest floor, the red berries of the jack-in-the-pulpit are easily seen. Joe Pye weed, ironweed, and milkweed are continuing to bloom near the forest edge or in fields. Monarch butterfly caterpillars are feasting on younger milkweed plants.  White snakeroot flowers are blooming. Watch for the vivid red blooms of the cardinal flower in woods or edges with moist soils.

Insects

Some adult Monarch butterflies are taking wing, while their caterpillars are still feeding on the leaves of milkweed plants. The caterpillars feed exclusively on native milkweed species. Along streams, the white mayfly frequently basks on rocks or bridge structures. They are among the last mayflies to emerge.

Fungi

In late August, Chicken-of-the-woods (also known as the sulfur shelf mushroom fruits on decaying tree stumps or even on the trunks of trees. They are bright orange above and bright yellow on the underside, growing in a shelf-like form, often in large clumps. Also look for the tiny splash cup fungus, often called bird’s nest fungus for obvious reasons.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Box turtle eggs are hatching. The shells of the baby box turtles are only about the size of a quarter.

General

The annual Perseid meteor showers peak midway through the month.

September Phenology Notes

Birds

Fall raptor migration begins and large groups of hawks, including broad-winged hawks, soar on thermals above the ridges. Most warblers have migrated by now, but some groups may linger. The bright breeding plumage has faded now, making identification much more challenging. Black-throated green and hooded warblers are exceptions, with their colors still clearly distinguishing them.

Mammals

As daylight hours shorten, many animals are preparing for winter. Squirrels efficiently snip walnuts out of treetops. When available, hickory nuts are favored by gray squirrels. Porcupine sightings increase as they seek mates during the start of their breeding season, which lasts until late fall. Bears and woodchucks feed heavily to put on weight for winter hibernation.

Plants

Some acorns reach full size and drop now. Acorns from trees in the red oak group don’t fully develop until their second growing season. Black gum, black birch, and witch hazel give color to the understory as their leaves turn. Late in the month, sugar and red maples and ash trees start to show their scarlet and orange colors. Hackberry and walnut leaves start to yellow and fall. Along forest edges and in fields, New England asters and goldenrods are in bloom.

Insects

Pollinators are active among the asters, goldenrod, and lingering jewelweed blooms. On goldenrod flowers, many of the insects are also golden yellow in color. Among the species to be found are soldier beetles, jagged ambush bug, and a variety of bees and butterflies. The monarchs are on the move in their annual migration.

Fungi

Chicken-of-the-woods are still found on stumps and dying trees. Hen-of-the-woods (also known as maitake) emerges now through October. They are so named because they resemble a nesting hen; these fungi emerge at the base of oak trees or stumps. Hen-of-the-woods is a significant source of vitamin D and is highly valued for medicinal and edible purposes.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Timber rattlesnakes are beginning to return to their brumation shelters, typically rock dens shared with other snake species. Juvenile black rat snakes are newly hatched. Their coloration when young often leads to misidentification, as they don't develop the full black color (with white belly) until they are adults.