Phenology is the rhythmic biological nature of events as it relates to climate—noting the changes in nature through the seasons. This is the word KAXE/KBXE borrowed for its weekly broadcast about local nature and seasonal change.
On Tuesday mornings, “Phenology” brings locally-produced reports about everything from the chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly explosion to flowering plums and wild ginger or birch and maple trees releasing pollen.
“Phenology” host John Latimer visits local schools and teaches students what to look out for in their own communities, like weeping willows breaking bud, frog song, and special birds, like the brown creeper and the red-breasted grosbeak. The students then find a regular place to go and watch these changes. They make their observations and then teach adults, through the radio, what to look for. Hearing kids falling in love with nature brightens even a minus 40-degree day in northern Minnesota.
The “Phenology” team works with Latimer and educators to write up a school year curriculum. Once the weekly reports come in, the team edits and produces them for broadcast. They also Tweet what students are sharing, to increase exposure on social media.