In walking outside this morning I heard my FOY red-wing blackbird singing. Saw the FOY turkey vulture, and read that the FOY blue herons have returned to their nesting colonies around north east Ohio. The term FOY has many meanings, but in this article FOY will be used to describe an occurrence in nature, an acronym for First of the Year. As some of you may remember, several articles have highlighted the fact that everything in nature is connected in some form or fashion. These connections have taken millennia to develop and a delicate balance exists which allows for the cyclic ebb and flow within our natural world., Spring wildflowers, frogs calling, catching lighting bugs, leaves turning color, birds migrating, first frost, animals hibernating, first snow, and then the cycle starts all over again. In scientific terms this is called “Phenology”. Phenology is the study of the timing of the biological events in plants and animals such as flowering, leafing, hibernation, reproduction, and migration. Scientists who study phenology are interested in the timing of such biological events in relation to changes in season and climate.
We all have our own opinions about climate change and its causes. But the facts say our climate has always been changing, remember it was only 12,000 years ago that we were covered with a mile of ice and the glacier obliterated everything in its path! But, the fact is our climate is changing before our very eyes. Our climate is getting warmer as evidenced by the rising temperature each year for the past several years. My point in writing this article is to get people to understand that over time FOY will have a new meaning for all of us and our children. Things we take for granted may become only a memory and new events will take their place.
Day length and temperature are the two most important factors in regulating our natural world. Day length will remain a constant unless earth is knocked off kilter by some astronomical event, and in that case we will have much bigger problems, I would imagine, and as we have seen, the temperature is rising. So what is the big deal? Why should we care?
Remember everything in nature is connected. We all know that the leaves emerge in the spring based on temperature. However, the leaves are not the only thing emerging based on temperature. Insects are emerging from the eggs that have been laid in the bark and twigs of the trees, specifically caterpillars of butterflies and moths. Fact, 93 percent of migrating birds rely on caterpillars for fuel during migration and to feed their young. Hundreds of miles to the south birds begin their migration as days get longer in the northern hemisphere. As noted earlier, that is a constant and happens every year at the same time.
So what happens if the birds begin migration on time, as they do every year, and in the north the caterpillars begin to emerge three weeks earlier than normal, due to the increases in temperature. Simple, when the birds arrive the caterpillars are too far along in their lifecycle to be of value to the birds. Because things are out of balance many of the birds will die due to starvation and the one that do survive will not be able to find food for their young. Bird populations will plummet and ultimately there will be significant effect in the remaining food chain. What we have taken for granted will be gone.
Birds are not the only things to be effected by temperature. Take kudzu, the “plant that ate the south”. Kudzu is a fast growing vine that can obliterate landscapes in weeks. Until recently it have been held in check by the colder temperatures in the north. If you now look at a range map of kudzu, you will now see it in Ohio along the Ohio river for the first time in history marching its way north as the warmer temperatures move north. Fifty years from now instead of worrying about multi-flora rose we will be battling kudzu.
Sorry to be so dramatic but this is occurring as we speak. It may take 100’s of years to have the impact I have described, but it will happen. However not all is lost; during that time a new balance will develop and new plants, animals, and insects will become common. Our grand children’s children will be making new memories based on the natural world they live in.
My hope is that when you see a FOY bird, insect, or animal you will have a new appreciation for what is happening. Enjoy it, cherish it, for it is changing.
