Макарова, О. А. Фенологический атлас растений / Н. В. Поликарпова, О. А. Макарова ; М-во природ. ресурсов и экологии Рос. Федерации, Федер. гос. бюджет. учреждение «Гос. природ. заповедник «Пасвик» ; [худож.: Хохлов В. А. ; пер.: Кислова О. С.]. - Рязань : Голос губернии, 2016.

Introduction 175 INTRODUCTION Phenology (from Greek ipaivopeva - phenomena; literally “phain- omena” - phenomenon, “logos" - word, reason) is the scientific study of and data on seasonal variations in the nature, their cycles, causes, timing and patterns in seasonal processes. The term was coined in 1853 by the Belgian botanist Charles Morren. Phenological observations may at first sight appear to be a simple task. Devoted observers however know better. It is common knowledge that a calendar year falls into seasons. Here in the Northern Hemisphere we have four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The nature comes alive when the spring arrives: snow melts, waters free of ice, trees dress up in green foliage, birds return. Then comes the summer, the time for active growth and propagation. The summer is succeeded by the autumn, when the nature prepares for dormancy, and then the winter. Yet, no year is just like the previous one: some times the winter is delayed, it rains, the snow cover takes longer to settle down; or the spring happens to be long and cold, deferring the growing season, or else spells of cold or hot weather strike in the middle of the summer. Weather conditions are a key environmental factor with great effect on the seasonal life of plants and animals. That is why weather information is a mandatory supplement to observations of biological objects in the nature. This information is gathered by weather stations. Radio, TV, In ternet provide us with daily weather reports based on data compiled and processed by hydrometeorology centres. But what is indeed happening in the nature at a specific moment in time, and who collects this information? Some scientific institutes in the biology field do such work, but primarily year-round phenological observations are carried out by staff of nature reserves. As part of large-scope phenological activities, they produce nature’s calendars for the territory, where data on the weather and on various events in the life of plants and animals are integrated in one table and analysis covering long-term periods may sometimes be sup plemented (Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, 1966; Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky and Ablaeva, 1983; Zheleznaya, 1999; Onishchenko et al., 2001; Ananin, 2002; Tatarinkova and Chemyakin, 200Д; Berlina and Zanuzdaeva, 2008,