Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield
Annabelle: “Hi, this is Annabelle-”
Sophie: “And this is Sophie-”
Annabelle: “And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School, way down south in Northfield Minnesota.”
Sophie: “Things are definitely getting greener down here. The rhubarb is emerging.”
Annabelle: “We have dandelion flowers, blood root flowers and, of course, SQUILL!”
Sophie: “Beautiful but invasive…like so many things.”
Annabelle: “Indeed. Crabapples have leaf out but only magnolias, fly honeysuckle and elderberries are flowering.”
Sophie: “Oscar counted 60 redwing blackbirds on his way to school… He has a very long drive.”
Annabelle: “Oscar also heard a Great Horned Owl and a Horned Lark.”
Sophie: “Our Merlin app said that it heard a Long-eared Owl…that seemed unlikely to us.”
Annabelle: “Henry, Caroline and Andrew saw our first goldfinches on April 15.”
Sophie: “Cowbirds and catbirds have also come back. Our Killdeers returned on April 9.”
Annabelle: “We’ve seen kingfishers and Brown Creepers, too.”
Sophie: “And Downy Woodpeckers, turkeys, herons, egrets, vultures, Wood Ducks AND the juncos are still around.”
Annabelle: “We’ve seen ants and the first honeybee on April 17. Michelle saw a big bumble bee on April 19.”
Sophie: “The first dragonflies came back on Thursday, April 17, and we’re seeing a lot of them now.”
Sophie: “There are robins with nesting materials, LOTS of frogs and LOTS of deer.”
Annabelle: “We’re still waiting for orioles, toads and hummingbirds.”
Sophie: “This has been Prairie Creek-”
Annabelle: “One more step along the phenology journey.”
Charlie Mitchell near Marine on St. Croix
“Here are a couple of notes from the Marine on St. Croix area for the last week.
A black bear stopped by for a midnight snack last Wednesday night and shattered our feeder, bent the pole, and generally caused mayhem. It’s made me doubly jealous of John Latimer’s relatively polite and gentle black bear, which gives his feeders a thorough cleaning but otherwise intact.
“We are still seeing Dark-eyed Juncos, but I haven’t seen a Pine Siskin in over a week. The maple sap run is officially over, and the daffodils began emerging on April 13. On April 15, the new grass was finally tall enough for some lawns to appear green again on our drive into town.
“In the forest, we’re seeing bloodroots and hepatica blooming in profusion. Wild ginger is up and the leaves are unfurling, and I even spotted one with a large flower bud on April 18. I haven’t been able to find a leatherwood that isn’t blooming, and there are a few that have dropped some flowers and are putting out leaves. Maidenhair ferns are beginning to unfurl, marsh marigolds are budding, and meadow rues have visible clusters of flower buds. One of our local sedges is flowering in tiny yellow poofs of pollen, but I’m not sure what species it might be.
“Thanks, and happy almost Earth Day!"
Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Bryn, Nolan and the students from Benilde-St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on April 16-17, we had a high temperature of 61 degrees and a low of 32.
“Nature is bursting to life in every corner. One of the highlights of our trip was seeing and hearing Woodcocks, also known as ‘Timberdoodles.’ We heard their ‘Beep’ song before we saw them on the ground and in the air. These cool little birds were not seen dancing in the sky, but that should be happening soon.
“Other flying critters that we observed were Wood Ducks flying by the lake, and Trumpeter Swans and a Common Loon on the lake. It was notable that the loon was by itself. We are wondering if the loon’s mate is already on the nest.
“While canoeing, we saw a leech in the water. In the woods, our group heard Ruffed Grouse drumming and saw two butterflies. We didn’t get a close enough look to identify what kind they were. Aspen buds are HUGE and fuzzy and we saw a garter snake. Garter snakes were seen near the hibernaculum on campus, but it was interesting to see one deeper in the woods. They seem to be venturing out into their summer habitat. Hopefully that means it’s the end of the cold weather for the season.
“It was a beautiful spring week in nature, and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!
Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids
“Hi, this is Espen, Amelia, Lucy, Katie, and Hattie.
“We are reporting from Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids, MN. Today is Wednesday, April 16.
“We noticed the highs are getting higher. The high temperature last Saturday was 65 degrees!
“The buds are swelling, and the grass is getting green.
“More animals are coming out! We have seen flies, mosquitoes, and wood ticks. We have seen chipmunks, deer, and even a bear! We heard a loon and cranes. Mari saw a grouse dancing.
“On a trip to Iowa, my (Lucy) family saw a muskrat in an ice cave.
“I (Hattie) saw a roadkill beaver and raccoon.
“We tasted maple syrup and maple sugar. The sugar was powdery and crunchy. It tasted sweet!
“This is Katie, Espen, Amelia, Lucy, and Hattie reporting from Heartland Lakes!”
North Shore Community School near Duluth
“Hello from North Shore Community School on the north shore of Lake Superior. This is the phenology report for the week of April 12, 2025. My name is Esther, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“On Saturday, April 12, Ms. Jackson spotted two Common Redpolls at her bird feeder. On Monday, April 14, Ms. Urban saw her first Northern Flicker of the season. On Tuesday, April 15, Ms. Rademacher’s class heard a kinglet singing in the school forest. Also on Tuesday, Ms. Urban saw a Red-winged Blackbird on her way into school, and the Preschoolers saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and heard one drumming in the school forest! Also on Tuesday, Mr. Dover saw an American Kestrel by the ice rink. On Wednesday, April 16, Ms. Urban saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler in the school forest, and Ms. Rollo’s class saw 3 swans flying above the school forest. Also on Wednesday, Ms. Pierson-Evans saw the first Tree Swallows on the wires outside the school. On Thursday, April 17, Ms. Pierson-Evans saw two Mourning Doves perched on the power lines on her way to school, and Ms. Urban heard Song Sparrows singing by the back staff parking lot.
“Mrs. Rolfe saw two black flies outside her house on Sunday, April 13. Also on Sunday, April 13, Jack got swarmed by mosquitos at his cabin at Alden Lake.
“On Saturday, April 12, Mrs. Rolfe noticed that her tulips and irises had sprouted from the ground.
“On Wednesday, April 16, Ms. Urban boiled maple sap from the trees students collected in our school forest. She boiled 20 gallons total, which means we should get about a half-gallon of syrup once she finishes it on the stove.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant.”
Aurora Waasakone Community of Learners in Bemidji
Great Expectations School in Grand Marais
“Hi, this is Luke P., Emma, Adalyn and Nathan reporting from Great Expectations School in Grand Marais MN, on March 19, 2025.
“Two students have seen some fuzzy black and a little bit of red caterpillars on the sidewalk. We are wondering, ‘What kind of caterpillar are they?”. Snowshoe hare, fox and lots and lots of deer have also been reported. More pussywillow buds have been seen breaking.
“All the snow is gone from the playground and field, there are some ice patches in the backwoods. It snowed just a little last week and rained on Saturday about 0.2 inches. Temperatures have been freezing at night. Some days have been really warm and others are cold. On Friday March 14, there was a huge thunderstorm that came in very fast. We had indoor recess because the lightning was across the whole sky. Some of Grand Marais lost power, but not our school.
“Many reports of Pileated Woodpeckers have been coming in. They should be making their nest cavities soon and might explain the more frequent sightings. This weekend swans were spotted in the harbor, and starlings were heard chattering very loudly in town. More seagulls are showing up around town as well.
“Thursday, March 13 into Friday was a big full moon with a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is when earth’s shadow is on the moon and blocks the sun’s light on the moon. This makes the moon look less bright. It was very early in the morning when most of us were sleeping so only one student reported seeing it. He said the moon was really big when he went to bed, and later when he woke up it was kind of small.
“This has been Luke P., Emma, Adalyn and Nathan reporting from Great Expectations School: Where you can expect a great phenology report.”
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, <b>subscribe</b> to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
