Nature's Timekeepers – Reading the Land
About this Event
Join Claire O'Neill from Earthwise Aware (EwA) for a guided documentation walk exploring the rhythms of local plants and wildlife and the seasonal shifts shaping the Outer Cape.
Women naturalists have long been keepers of ecological knowledge, observing, recording, tending, often without recognition. This documentation walk honors and continues that tradition. Phenology is the study of seasonal change in living systems, reading how plants, insects, birds, and amphibians respond to shifting conditions of place and time.
Nature’s Timekeepers is part of Earthwise Aware’s biodiversity and climate program: intentional observation and documentation of seasonal change across plants, insects, birds, and amphibians, contributing to shared conservation and scientific understanding. On the Outer Cape, we move through a landscape that appears wild but holds a more complex history. Learning to read it is an act of attention and reclamation.
Together, we learn to read the interactions that shape a place. A red maple reveals a more fluid story of sex than many expect. An oak leaf becomes the stage for a relationship involving a tiny wasp, a gall, and ants. The timing of a flower's bloom echoes in the arrival of a bee. What first appears as a collection of separate organisms gradually resolves into a web of relationships, rhythms, and exchanges. As we observe, we document. Each record contributes to a growing understanding of how the Outer Cape's living communities are responding to a changing world.
Women-led. Open to all who come in that spirit.
✢ This series was inspired in part by a reflection on women naturalists and ecological knowledge: .
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⚲ Note the exact rendezvous location: 42.061805,-70.2180197 (click to see where we meet).
⚠ IMPORTANT: Please do not be a no-show. Our free offerings are often waitlisted. If you cannot attend, please let us know a few days before the event so we can offer your spot to someone else. Thank you for your consideration.
ⓘ Why limit the number of attendees? EwA caps attendance so that our events remain low-impact and respectful of the wildlife and habitats we document.
◇ What to wear and bring: Although this will be a slow-paced hike, please dress appropriately. Consider wearing long pants because of ticks, poison ivy, and similar hazards, and sturdy hiking shoes. Bring water. There is no bathroom in the park.
✉ For any questions, you can contact Claire at [email protected]
ᵗʱᵃᵑᵏઽ* to the National Park Service for granting EwA a research permit to conduct research in the park.
More about the event:
During the walk, you will practice documenting these seasonal patterns using the EwA Pheno Lite mobile app, developed as part of the EwA Pheno Lite project to support accurate and user-friendly phenology recording. We will demonstrate the app’s main features and show you how to record observations of local plants and the animal activity associated with them. This approach highlights key species interactions, reveals how ecological relationships may be shifting, and contributes to building a strong open-access phenology database that benefits both scientists and the public.
As we explore the Hatches Harbor trail, you will document fauna and flora, observe phenological events in real time, record them at several stops, and connect with fellow nature enthusiasts. Recording these seasonal changes strengthens shared knowledge while sharpening your skills as a naturalist and deepening your connection to the landscapes you explore.
#nature #ecology #biodiversity #botany #phenology #conservation #citizenScience #science
Photos: © Claire O'Neill, Earthwise Aware [Northern bayberry, American red squirrel, Gallberry]. More: See EwA's biodiversity records » www.inaturalist.org/projects/ewa-biodiversity-projects
ⓘ EwA Participatory Science Program » www.earthwiseaware.org/citizen-science/
♡ We Need Your Support! Make an impact: Help our #ScienceForAll! campaign. Become an EwA Ambassador today! » www.earthwiseaware.org/donate
Where is it happening?
USD 0.00
