| PHENOLOGY IS THE SCIENCE and study of the cycles of nature over time. My mother and father and my grandparents were all phenologists and I was raised with this appreciation and practice. I have been a phenologist all of my life, recording my observations of nature through sketches, paintings, journal entries, poetry and songs.

When I was first introduced to the Ichetucknee River and springs in May of 1984, I noticed the Loblolly Bay Flowers, and within a few weeks, the first Magnolia Blossoms of the year. Over the next 10 years, I observed and recorded the sequence and timing of the various wildflowers at the Ichetucknee, both around the springs, the river and the adjacent sandhill uplands, and discovered that there were wildflowers blooming all through the year!

In 1995, I created my first version of the Wildflower Wheel as a watercolor.

In 2000, I created a new version on a circular canvas that was showcased and premiered at the Florida Springs Conference in Gainesville later that same year.

As of this writing in 2021, I have created various Florida Wildflower Wheels that represent the different zones of Florida, the uniqueness of the different ecosystems and the different times of bloom for the same flower in different localities. For instance, the Magnolias begin to bloom in Central Florida in late March, they begin in late April in Gainesville, and they begin in late May on the Upper Suwannee.

I believe this information is not only interesting, but may also become very significant as a record as we move through the various climate change anomalies that are being presented right before us. I have already seen some definite changes in the timing and sequence, though it must be noted that this winter and spring of 2020-2021 has been closer to “normal” than the previous few years.

Each wildflower in my painting represents a different month of the year, creating an organic calendar. Some of the flowers are specific to a short period of time throughout the year, and others that carry on for several months are represented at the beginning of their sequence.

Starting at the top is the Trillium representing December. Next, moving clockwise, is the Wood Violet, representing January. Then we have the American Red-Bud, representing February. Then comes the Dogwood, representing March, followed by the Red Buck-eye, for April.

Next comes the Loblolly Bay for May, and then the Magnolia for June. The Greenfly Orchid is our July wildflower, and the Ironweed represents August. 

The Golden Aster shows itself beginning in September, and the Blazing Star (Liatris) is our October Wildflower. Purple Asters adorn both our lovely Ichetucknee floodplain and the sandhill uplands in November.

No matter where and when you were born, you have a birth flower blooming at the Ichetucknee on or near your birthday!

John Dame, Jr., is an artist, musician, and spiritual ecologist for whom the Ichetucknee is both a teacher and a muse.