Peering out my window, I can’t absolutely recall – has this year flown by or dragged on? The grass and trees appear to spell it out: Time has simply moved on and spring is here!

Each day, I notice incremental changes on the red maple and lilac branches in my yard. The red, shell-like outer scales that cover buds all winter begin to separate and reveal a pale green glimpse inside of a miniature leaf or flower ready to unfurl.

I discovered that there is a scientific name to observations of these seasonal changes in nature: phenology (as in phenomenon).