Phenological observations in Russia: brief history of development

Conducting phenological observations has a long history in Russia. There were developed and applied a number of programs and instructions for watching animate and inanimate nature. Many famous people made a great contribution to the development of phenology. The first notes of the observations of nature are in Russian chronicles, and yet these entries were not systematic, and they were only in extreme cases. Development of scientific phenology began in the 18th century. It is considered that phenological observations in Russia began in 1721 by the order of Peter I. Also during this period, only particular scientists-enthusiasts made systematic observations across the country: P.S. Pallas, I.P. Falk, A.T. Bolotov, P. Kraft, etc. They observed weather phenomena, agricultural crops, botanical and zoological facilities. In 1838 there was published a call for phenological observations in the country by the Russian Society of Enthusiasts in Gardening. This society planned to use the obtained data for the compilation of the "Garden Calendar" for each area. Count M.V. Tolstoy responded to this call, and he published the results of his nine-year observations. In the middle of the 19th century both the Academy of Sciences and the Russian Geographical Society had a phenological network. The two agencies tried to expand the network of units in the country and spread among a large number of persons the popularity of periodic observations of natural phenomena. The first summary of phenological data for 120 points was published in Russia in 1854, and the first phyto-phenological map of crops ripening appeared in 1884. Systematic phenological observations from different areas of the country were published in yearbooks, compilations, magazines, and books at the end of the 19th century. In the 20th century the phenological network existed in various organisations and institutions at different times . It should be noted that prior to the Great Patriotic War, our country ranked first among the other states in phenology. In the postwar years, there was released a large number of nature calendars. However, at the end of the 20th century the phenological network reduced. The current scientific phonological observations are carried out in botanical gardens, in different departments of universities, in nature reserves and other organisations. It should be noted that school children observe natural objects. Phenological observations today are interesting for a wide range of people.

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