Gallery

Illustration of a mobile camper with people inside

Backyard Phenology is a participatory art and science project for people to share stories and forge new connections to place.

The project fosters an ongoing multilogue about the ecosystems we inhabit; and how we understand those ecosystems through art, science, and culture. Dip into the conversation by browsing documentation on Backyard Phenology's objects, events, ​​​​​​​ephemera, and audio recordings.

Objects


Climate Chaser

Whether you call it a caravan, camper, or trailer, the mobile home is iconic. Its instant appeal evokes nostalgia and the excitement of being on new ground.

Monarch Festival
Monarch Festival 2017

"The Climate Chaser is a classic boundary object because it draws together two different groups of peopleenvironmentalists and camper enthusiastsand provides a literal platform for dialog and learning."

-  Lewis E. Gilbert, former Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota

The Climate Chaser joins people from different communities into a shared conversation andpotentiallycollaboration.


 

The refurbished Climate Chaser is a chrome camper trailer with a rounded profile and blue and red decals

Designed to catch the eye of passers-by, the Climate Chaser is the heart of the Backyard Phenology project. It is a versatile, mobile hub where the team connects with communities and together, consider the environment. Its silver surface is emblazoned with whimsical decals of plants and animals, suggesting a focus on the natural world. A nearby sandwich board invites you to enter, ask questions, and share a story.


 

Four people seated at the booth inside the mobile camper Climate Chaser
2024

Enter the Climate Chaser to discover a comfortable space hosted by the Backyard Phenology team. Browse the rotating display of books, art objects, natural history specimens, and other items that invite exploration. Booth seating beckons you to take a seat at the table and join the conversation.

A small natural history museum inside the Climate Chaser, with prints and specimens for visitors to examine
Bre McGee Photography 2024

 

Stories of Climate Change and our Relationship to Place
2016

This casual listening station puts a frame around climate, the backyard, and phenology. Conversations typically begin by defining phenology, an area of knowledge focused on the seasonal timing of biological activity of plants and animals. Though the word is new to many, phenology is a familiar idea. It's knowing about the timing of leaves unfolding, flowers opening, birds migrating, insects emerging from and returning to their winter homes, and other seasonal changes.


 

Climate Chaser at the Minnesota State Fair 2017
Minnesota State Fair 2017

People inside the Climate Chaser think about phenology together, asking one another, what changes have you noticed lately in your environment? When paying attention to those changes, what kinds of memories, questions or connections come to mind? People inside the Climate Chaser explore many ways of knowing, grapple with change, forge new connections to place, and renew relationships with communities.


Goings-on from the camper are sometimes documented in photos, videos, sketches, audio recordings, and other media.

"Change happens inevitably, it is part of life and time. Humans have a disproportionate impact on how the system of our world works. My theory is that acknowledging humans' role of place in the world is really the driving hope for a future that we and our fellow species can live in together."

- Climate Chaser guest and interviewee

Black-and-white drawing of a mobile camper with animals talking inside
By Jessie Merriam, 2022
Audio file
Sound design by Brian Heller
Watercolor painting of the Climate Chaser outdoors
By Maria Park, 2022

 

An old camper parked by a garage.
A shiny mobile camper with a rounded shape and an open door
Four people outdoors at night around a table with a mobile camper in the background
Interior of the mobile camper, booth seating around a table where art objects are displayed
Interior of the camper, booth seating around a table and a window looking outdoors

Ephemera


Perennial journal

More than a handy place to keep notes, a journal helps us remember how it feels to notice. Perhaps, a slight buffer from the daily rush, a shuffle in the flow of time. A phenology journal is for jotting down what you see (or hear) in your backyard, from one day to the next. When will that oak out my window green up? When will a robin's song herald this year's spring?

Small paper booklet opened on a desk. Paperclips and earbuds nearby
Pair of binoculars and a pen rest on an open notebook, the pages have writing and a drawing of a bird
A page of a field notebook has a colored illustration of a caterpillar on a leaf, with hand-written notes
Hand-written notes show species names on the left, in rows, with columns for oberservations.
Calendar layout for the month of January showing a line for every day of the month
A paper notebook with a pencil. The cover is brown with writing and images in red and blue.
A paper notebook sits on a desk near microphones and headphones.

Trading Post Seed Archive by Chotsani Elaine Dean

Open the lidded box and gently flip through paper packets containing plant seeds. Each hand-made envelope has graceful embellishments and notes cataloging its contents.

Box containing small paper envelopes, handwriting describes what seeds are contained
Rectangular, white paper envelope with handwritten list of kinds of seeds contained
A paper envelope with an intricate geometric pattern made from black and white cut paper
Box containing paper envelopes, three of which have strongly contrasting designs made with cutout paper

Events


Reframing Our Relations: A Community Meal and Conversation

October 2, 2022 at Franconia Sculpture Park

The Backyard Phenology collective designed this event to explore complicated narratives around invasive species, also referred to as non-local beings.

Hand-written script reads "You're Invited" and is embellished with branches of leaves in fall colors
Hand-lettered invitation with details about a meal being hosted
A colorful table setting with glasses, plates, napkins, and a vase of flowers
Four photos showing a hedge of sumac, sumac fruits in a strainer, a beverage being made on the stovetop, and a pitcher full of orange-pink liquid
A plate full with green salad, rye bread, cheeses and fruits
People in conversation around a dinner table outdoors, with bright sunshine
A slice of pie with dark berries, a crumbly crust and whipped cream on a white china plate
An expansive field of grass with five figures walking toward distant trees and vegetation.
Small pieces of paper tied to a tree branch with red leaves

BioQuest

September 25, 2021 at Franconia Sculpture Park

BioQuest was envisioned to connect ecology, land stewardship, and the arts, a major thread of Franconia Sculpture Park's mission. The day's activities were the collaborative work of artists, scientists, students, naturalists, public historians, sculpture park staff, and the public.

Black silhouettes on white background, illustrations of plants, animals and fungi
Screengrab from iNaturalist showing a map of Franconia Sculpture Park (tan rectangular shape). Below that is a row of thumbnail images of plants