Phenology station

From the clock in the center of the station, a ray points to the respective flowers in the outer circle. This allows everyone to check the phenological phases for themselves. There is also a bar chart on the clock showing the average start date of the snowdrop blossom between 1951 and 2005. According to the chart, flowering is increasingly beginning in January. The reasons for this development can be discussed at this station. During guided tours, the diagram is often interpreted as a sign of climate change. However, it is also worth asking about other causes of changes in plant growth.

Young visitors can look for their own year of birth on the diagram and compare the climatological development of this year with other decades. The phenological garden is not yet fully developed. Many plants are very young. They were only planted in 2005.

The many strawberry canes serve less as a phenological interpretation than as ground cover against weeds. Benches have been placed here. The different phenological seasons are also marked on concrete inserts in the ground. This occasionally leads to personal preferences: One visitor is drawn to "early spring" and another to "late fall". The "why" is an idiosyncratic but possible question at this station. You can also talk about your own biological clock. In this way, a bridge can be built between the developmental stages of plants and human developmental stages.