Resources | Season Watch

Featured resource:

One way to understand phenology is through the news. Two recent stories illustrate how natural cycles are tied to climate, and how organisms might be adapting their phenology as the climate changes.

Minnesota: 'Just a teeny little trickle': Checking in on maple syrup flows in unusually warm January (MPR, January 31, 2024)

Global: Warm weather keeps migratory cranes in Hungary longer (Reuters, November 2, 2023)

For Educators

Season Watch Newsletter

KAXE/KBXE Radio

Indigenous phenology

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to understand Minnesota's biodiversity in relation to climate and seasons. However, Indigenous phenological knowledge is not covered on this website. Below are a few relevant resources, with an emphasis on Indigenous authorship whenever possible:

Ecological knowledge & Understanding Native Minnesota

Understanding Native Minnesota grants fund the following projects, relevant to the topic of phenology and Minnesota ecology:

Wakaŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi is developing K-12 curriculum, teaching materials and exhibits for the Wakaŋ Tipi Center to be opened in 2025.
The Bell Museum is developing field trip offerings for grades 2-5 focused on traditional Indigenous ecological and astronomical knowledge.
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center is developing and integrating Dakota and Ojibwe content into the curricula of its programming for outdoor school groups and educators.
Development and distribution of teaching resources and professional development on Indigenous fire practices and culture, including a book giveaway of the forthcoming book “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire” in partnership with the Minnesota Science Teachers Association.

Community networks:

In addition to information about their mission-based work, newsletters from Wakan Tipi Center and Dream of Wild Health often share phenological knowledge. These are just two of many examples.
Indigenous Phenology Network, a grassroots organization. Connect with them:
- on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndigenousIPN/
- or through Nature's Notebook: https://www.usanpn.org/nn/indigenous-phenology-network

Anishinaabe:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, book by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2015)
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, book by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith, illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt (2022)
Nando-gikenimindwaa Nindinawemaaganidog: Getting to know all of creation
Ojibwe Lifeways article by Anton Treuer, with teacher's guide (2012)
Our Knowledge Is Not Primitive: Decolonizing Botanical Anishinaabe Teachings, book by Wendy Makoons Geniusz (2009)
Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings, book by Mary Siisip Geniusz (2015)

Dakota:

Dakota Moons, an article from Hoċokata Ti Cultural Center's newsfeed
Owámniyuomni ed Wathóthoka kiŋ is a StoryMap about several plants important to Dakota people. Although this resource does not focus on phenology, seasonal timing has always been an important aspect of relationships between plants and people.

Academic writing:

Indigenous Phenology: An Interdisciplinary Case Study on Indigenous Phenological Knowledge on the Menominee Nation Forest, a Masters thesis by Thomas Kenote (2020)

Climate change