Phenology

I learnt a new word this week: phenology. It's the study of periodic plant and animal life cycles and was started by Robert Marsham in Norfolk in the 1700s.

There's also an extensive tradition of season-watching in Japanese and Chinese culture - as illustrated by the Tale of Genji in which the Emperor had a palace, a magnificent complex of four interconnected mansions, one for each of the four seasons.


We saw phenology in action too when our magnolia flowered a year after it last did. Perfect timing.