The Ceres space station was not seasonally adjusted, as all the plants were designed to be perennial fruiters, instead of seasonal or annual. Due to the station's elliptical orbit, however, it took ninety days to orbit the sun, passing close to the sun at the mid-point of this orbit. The caterpillar year, therefore, was ninety days long, divided into three months, Warming, Sap-time and Pre-chill. Warming was following the furthest point in the orbit, when the station began to get back to standard temperature. Sap-time was when the main branches of the plant's foliage began to excrete a tappable resin which was occasionally used in the production of plastics, and other organic chemicals. Pre-chill was the point in the year when temperatures began dropping, and most individuals stored food for the time when leaves and other edibles began to wither.
Copyright 1999 Ian Rennie, for Remiel Productions.