As Charles W. Johnson began in our April 20, 2009 Outside Story article on biological clocks, “It is a magical time we anticipate for months…the redwings and robins and grackles return within a day or two of when they always have. Woodland wildflowers push their shoots up beneath patches of snow, their flower buds curled tight against the morning frost, ready for the brief opportunity to bloom in the shadeless forest. From the pond the wood frogs quack in mating, to be followed soon by peepers, then American toads. Just out of hibernation, a mourning cloak butterfly soars by. And, on a certain rainy night in April, spotted salamanders begin their trek to vernal pools.”
Unfortunately Mr. Johnson overlooked one of the most predictable springtime activities. Here in the Northern Woodlands office, we know that summer is on the way by the richly anticipated annual migration of subscribers.
Johnson tells us that many plants and animals have more than one biological clock operating simultaneously. Humans are no exception. Through changing patterns of light, the human organism responds instinctively to the lengthening days. Whether it occurs in phytochromes, pineal glands, or the hypothalamus (read the article), an internal circadian rhythm cannot be forced into a different genetic pattern. The external clues, or “zeitgebers” (read the article carefully), provide the “predictable repetitive environmental forces in a region.” And once the clock is set, we just keep on ticking. When humans are reseeded to southerly states, they always come back, right on time.
For our dedicated subscribers, this presents the long-awaited address change from Florida to Maine, or Arizona to Vermont, or perhaps Texas to New Hampshire. For the handful who winter in Minnesota, Illinois, and Maryland, you might want to check your zeitgebers before you head out next time. Winter in Minnesota? Come to Vermont, we ski here.
There is a little known service that we are happy to provide for our faithful travelers. The Seasonal Address List lets us know to switch your subscription to match your migration. With only 4 issues per year, we are pretty good at keeping track. If you let us know which address you’ll be nesting in on the 1st of March, June, September, and December, we’ll have your magazine waiting at the door. It’s automatic, like clockwork.
You are always welcome to give us a call, drop an email, or send a note. But if you follow a very predictable pattern, let us do the work for you. We can always make an adjustment if you find yourself in California on your way to Minnesota.
“These amazing clocks are much more than timekeepers. They are what keep us together, organism and environment. Indeed, they let us know that one is inseparable from the other.”
How do we know it is our time? The grass smells sweet, the church suppers begin, the dog wants to run like heck, and there is always time for a walk in the field. The Northern Forest in summertime; there’s nothing else quite like it. We’re glad you can join us.