This dataset includes data transcribed from records collected in the early 1900s. From 1900 to 1923, an influential inspector of schools in Nova Scotia, Dr. A.H. MacKay, recruited a number of knowledgeable teachers around the province to use their students to observe 100 natural occurrences each year, and report them in a standardized way. This is the science of phenology - the study of the seasonal timing of life cycle events. These observations included the appearance of blooming wildflowers, cultivated plants, migratory birds, mammals, amphibians plus the freezing of lakes and rivers, appearance of frost and snow, number and severity of thunderstorms, hurricanes, etc. In addition, the timing of human agricultural practices was also recorded, including calving, seeding, potato planting, and haying. Tracking the timing of naturally occurring events helps show trends in the effects on biota and human activities as a result of climate change and weather variability.

Nova Scotia