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Public Relations Department 432 North Lake Street Madison, WI 53706 608-262-9871 608-262-8404 (fax) 608-265-9317 (TTY)UW-Extension specialist featured in "Martha Stewart Living"
"When the daffodils begin to bloom it's time to plant peas." If you know a gardener who follows this kind of schedule, they are practicing phenology. The March special gardening issue of "Martha Stewart Living" magazine carries an article on phenology, featuring the work of UW-Madison/Extension IPM (Integrated Pest Management) outreach specialist Karen Delahaut.
Phenology is a field of science concerned with the influence of climatic and seasonal changes on the life cycles of plants and animals. Studies in phenology focus on such things as plant budding, flowering and fruiting, insect emergence, and bird migration. Phenology can play an important part in insect control for gardeners.
Delahaut, a member of the UW-Extension Agriculture/Urban Horticulture Team, is currently working with vegetable growers to help control the squash vine borer. The adult borer moth is active for about two weeks, during which it lays its eggs on susceptible plants. Using natural signals like the flowering of chicory, Delahaut can alert growers when to go on the defensive against the moth.
Delahaut has posted an article on phenology on the Agriculture/Urban Horticulture Team web site at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/landscape/L_phenology.htm . To learn more about phenology, you may also want to visit the USDA web site for ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) at http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/phenology.html or the Wisconsin Phenological Society web site at http://www.naturenet.com/alnc/wps/ .
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File: Horticulture, Gardening, Pest Management
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