We've made it to May! After a cold, chilly, cloudy April, we are all hopeful that May will bring the warm sunny weather we've all been craving. Heidi and John seem industrious this morning, jumping right into student reports without their usual friendly banter! In contrast to their diligence, my lazy morning included a 2-hour nap and a leisurely stroll with my cat. Let's take our cue from Heidi and John and get right to it!
Ava and Isabel bring us this week's report from the Science Nature Adventure Program at Bemidji Middle School! This week, they spotted Canada geese and a bald eagle during their phenology walk. They also noticed more open water where the geese and ducks can congregate to dabble beneath the water's surface. More birds are singing, but their tracked phenology trees haven't changed much yet. During the week, individual students spotted a red-winged blackbird, two turkeys, six deer, a rabbit, a black bear, loons, a bald eagle, three hawks, robins, starlings, and chipmunks. They've also been watching a local osprey nest but haven't seen them yet; however, they did get to see a Canada goose basking in the sun in its nest and happily gazing over the school grounds. "Until next time, snap to it! Get into the wild and be observant."
John responds that "snap to it" was one of his father's favorite expressions- Heidi implies that John may have given him cause to repeat it a few times! According to John, the students in the SNAP program should be seeing bud development this week. Some of those changes might be flowers on maple trees, leaves on raspberries, and possibly more! Great report, SNAPsters- thank you!
Graham and Lillian bring us this week's report from West Rapids Elementary in Grand Rapids. Their phenology walk on Tuesday was cold, cloudy, and windy, with a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit and 12 mph winds. The students have been monitoring the trees and shrubs for development. The red maple buds are still closed tight, the pussywillow catkins are releasing pollen (much later than average!), the birch buds are just beginning to crack open (they can see the green inside), and the leatherwood buds are swelling. The students expect to see yellow-flowered bushes soon! "Thanks for listening!"
John says that this week may finally bring some changes, including red maple buds popping. He's less sure about the birch and the leatherwood, which would typically be blooming. With the warmer weather forecasted for this week, John is hopeful that things will have changed quite a bit by next week!
Jane brings us this week's report from North Shore Community School near Duluth. On Wednesday of last week, the students woke up to yet more snow blanketing the ground; however, they noticed that the sun was getting more powerful and hoped that the trees would begin to leaf out soon. The Knife River is rising due to the melting snow and increased rainfall. The grass is turning a darker shade of green; apparently, the deer are enjoying snacking on the new growth, as they've been spotted grazing in the area! One deer was alarmingly skinny, with visible ribs showing through the hide. In addition to seeing the deer in front of them, students observed scrapes and tracks the deer left behind. Collectively, they've seen many birds, including many species of ducks (e.g.: northern shovelers, buffleheads, ring-necked ducks, blue-winged teals, mergansers, and mallards. Some were seen for the first time this season!), sandhill cranes, a large flock of juncos, and a northern flicker! Many other critters were out and about, with sightings of a black bear, a skunk, 12 flies, large groups of Asian beetles, and a small black ant. The class noted that April 29th was Arbor Day, a holiday celebrating the importance of trees! Many people celebrate by planting a tree on Arbor Day. "Have a great week, and be observant!"
John says thank you for the report! As always, a lot is happening in the Duluth area- snow, sunshine, rain, more snow, and more sunshine. He's sure the Knife River is roaring with the spring melt (the St. Croix sure was last week!). The spring melt has created vernal ponds that host many ducks, mergansers, and other waterfowl- John notes that the northern shovelers are a rare sighting in Minnesota! The grass is finally greening up throughout the state (I've undoubtedly enjoyed it here in St. Paul). Finally, John mentions that he's seen a lot of flickers himself this week- lucky him! I've yet to spot one, though they're undoubtedly in the area.
Sam, from Highland Catholic School in St. Paul, brings us this week's report from Long Lake Conservation Camp! They got to see a lot of beavers during their trip; one beaver swam right up to shore during class and sat there "paying no attention at all" to the students. Another beaver strolled through campus carrying a stick, also not seeming to care that there were students just a few feet away. There was big news this week! The ice is finally out on Long Lake (though some chunks of ice and slush are still floating around- brr!). The students saw a pair of loons near the beaver lodge and expected that they would be on the nest soon. Birds are returning to and moving through the area; they observed a kingfisher, a female yellow-bellied sapsucker, a golden-crowned kinglet, a large flock of geese, a few hooded mergansers, and some mallards! During their survival shelter class, the group encountered a garter snake. The Long Lake staff said it had been a few days since the snakes were seen outside their hibernacula, so they've likely dispersed to search for food. The buds on trees and shrubs are beginning to pop, and the deer are actively foraging for good green food. It was a great week in nature, and they want to remind everyone to "live connected!"
John says a big thank you to Sam for a great report! He (and I) love the story of the beavers beavin' about and ignoring the students to go about their beavery business. You go, you big ol' rodents, you! John says that if Long Lake is open, the lakes in Grand Rapids should be opening soon. His local lake, Crooked Lake, is at 40% open water and is hosting a family of loons as of yesterday. The minute the ice is gone, everything livens up, with Long Lakers spotting yellow-bellied sapsuckers, garter snakes, and more! John is thrilled another group of students was able to visit and be shown the beauties of nature (I agree)! Thanks, Long Lake!
Kaia and Cameron bring us this week's report from Shakopee West Middle School! The class observed a mallard pair that nested in their Life Lab Garden; on April 27th, they found that the female had laid an egg! The students predict that the egg will hatch by Memorial day. On April 29th, they noticed that the mallard had buried the egg under the mulch to protect it from the cold. Smart duck! The mallards aren't the only ones living in the Life Lab; they also found a baby bunny (called a kitten) and tracked it to its burrow under some native grasses. Like many of our other schools, the Shakopee students have been monitoring native plants for development. They've found that the red tree buds are slowly getting bigger but haven't burst yet. The swamp and common milkweed haven't grown yet, but the aspens are in their second week of flowering. One of the students even found a lilac with a few open buds; the class confirmed this is happening all over town! The grass was greening, and insects (including mosquitoes, ticks, and flies- boo) appeared in more significant numbers. So did humans! One student noticed that the number of bikers riding by during outdoor baseball practice has increased over the last few weeks. The students also observed coyotes (!), bulbs beginning to grow in their backyards, and many geese and hawks flying over. "Science skills are life skills!"
John thanks Kaia and Cameron and agrees that science skills are life skills (they sure are!). Concerning the students' mallard nest, John shares some fun facts about mallard reproduction! The female mallard lays one egg per day and covers them with mulch. Over two weeks, she'll lay 12-15 eggs in the nest in this way, then begin to brood them all at once. 30-35 days later, they all hatch at the same time! Some babies will have been in the egg for 30 days, while others will have been there up to 15 days longer! Once hatched, they are precocial, meaning they aren't dependent on their mother for food and can feed themselves. Lastly, John adds that it's excellent news the lilacs are budding in the cities- he's always happy to hear that!
Zephryn and Malcolm bring us the news from Prairie Creek Community School, 'way down south' in Northfield! As always, they're the first to see spring arrive. This week, they report seeing 'crazy amounts of rabbits,' one lonely junco (they think the rest have headed north!), and flocks of starlings, sparrows, and cedar waxwings. There are turkeys in the field, mallards in town, and a sharp-shinned hawk flying through the sky! The plants are busy, too; the buds are breaking on the honeysuckle, lilac, gooseberry, and raspberry bushes. They also report flowers from the dandelion, bloodroot, scilla, creeping charlie, and spring beauties. Finally, their magnolia tree is magnificent with its fresh spring flowers- how beautiful! "One more step along the phenology journey!"
John says thank you! He's thrilled by all the blooming spring flowers, including the lilacs, scilla, and magnolia (he notes that the magnolia doesn't grow in northern Minnesota). He affirms that the young rabbits, last junco, and blooming bloodroot and dandelion are all great signs of spring coming to Northfield. Only a few weeks until it reaches him in Grand Rapids!
Hadley and Anika from Eagle View Elementary bring us this week's report and wish us a happy May Day! It was a cold and rainy day for their phenology walk this week. A few piles of snow still linger near the nature center, but mud puddles are shrinking and the grass is starting to look greener. They've seen plenty of birds, including chickadees, robins, a downy woodpecker, swans, geese, ducks, pelicans (for the first time in 20 years!), a blue heron, and many turkeys! Because the ice isn't out yet on the smaller lakes, Rice Lake is filled to the brim with geese, ducks, and other water birds. Deer and turkeys have been actively feeding in ditches along the roads. The buds on the aspen trees are getting bigger and darker- the students hope that warmer weather will bring the leaves out! "Reporting from Pequot Lakes, get outside and be observant!"
John agrees; get outside! He says the weather will be beautiful over the next few days, so "get outside and be observant!" He reiterates that there are plenty of things to observe out there, including what the students reported: greening grass, downy woodpeckers, pelicans, great blue herons, deer, turkey, and (of course) the developing aspen buds.
Finally, Heidi reads us a report from Kari Hedlund, KAXE's very tall and intimidatingly cool Music Director. On her drive to Minneapolis (she's off to a music conference), she saw a porcupine perilously perched on a thin branch, a "beautiful, vibrant" fox running along the road, 10-12 sandhill cranes, and lots of eagles and deer! Heidi and John point out that observations like those make long drives worthwhile and give you something to stay awake and interested!
What a great week filled with good news! I, for one, am excited to hear the progression of spring flowers making their way north. The spring ephemerals (flowers that last a very short time) have long been my favorite sign of spring. I've spent many hours scampering around trying to find all the different color variations of hepatica at my parents' house near Marine on St. Croix! I got the chance to visit them last week and found that the hepaticas are starting to flower, the bloodroots are beginning to emerge, and I found one lonely dutchman's breeches that was already flowering. Yay spring!
Remember that you can add your voice to this list! We would love to hear from you. Get in touch with me (smitchell@kaxe.org) or John (jlatimer@kaxe.org), or text 'phenology' to 218-326-1234.
