Phenology tracks seasonal events like when plants leaf out, birds migrate, or ice breaks on rivers. Nathan Binnema introduces this observational practice, showing how repeated visits to one place reveal patterns in weather, plants, animals, and your own attention.
Phenology: Reading Nature’s Seasonal Calendar Overview
Phenology is the practice of paying attention to recurring seasonal events and tracking those observations through time.
When does river ice break? When do aspen catkins bloom? When do crows return in numbers?
These events happen on rough schedules each year, responding to temperature shifts, daylight changes, and moon phases. Recording what you notice builds a calendar grounded in your local ecology rather than arbitrary dates.
Nathan Binnema has been practicing phenological observation for three years at a single site in Edmonton’s river valley.
His approach combines repeated visits, careful notation, and attention to both solar and lunar cycles. He brings insights from his study of Blackfoot phenology with Ryan First Diver, adapted for accessible community learning.
This session introduces phenology as a tool for deepening ecological literacy. Nathan walks through what to observe, how to track patterns, and why this practice matters for understanding the places we live.
You’ll leave with a framework for starting your own phenological observations, whether at a backyard garden, a neighborhood park, or anywhere you return to regularly.
What You’ll Learn
What phenology is and how observational practice builds ecological knowledge over time
Key events to track in Edmonton’s river valley, including ice thaw, plant emergence sequences, bird migrations, and insect appearances
How to structure observations using both solar seasons and lunar cycles as time markers
Patterns Nathan discovered through three years of monthly visits to one location
Why repeated visits matter for noticing changes that single observations miss
Practical starting points for beginning phenological practice in your own neighborhood or watershed
Connections between observations and ecological systems like pollination timing, food webs, and habitat use
RITCHIE PRESENTS
Our 2025-2026 session of Ritchie Presents is hosted by our friends at the Edmonton Permaculture Guild. They’re bringing together organizations across Edmonton who work, advocate, and organize across a variety of fields with the common values of “Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share”.
The Edmonton Permaculture Guild connects you with hands-on education, a growing community of practitioners, and practical skills for building food security and resilient landscapes across Edmonton and all of Alberta. Click here to learn about all of their upcoming events.