Student phenologists ask us to 'remember how much the Earth holds'

Remember How Much the Earth Holds
A Poem for Earthday 2025
By the Herons, Prairie Creek Community School

“The world is covered in life, you just have to look
Nature brings back memories
a rolling sea, a living thing in the middle of nothing
In an infinite galaxy
The birds flutter in the wind, swooping and diving along the way
A deer hopping around
trees growing their leaves
The eagle soaring in the sky
snow melting, flowers blooming
The falling rain
The birds on the tree
The green grass, the bright green grass,
the wind blowing, looking for the first flower of spring.
Hearing the sound of your breath,
my thoughts are lost in nature.
There is little not seen, but so much not known.
The clouds shifting in the sky as water comes down to damp the earth;
the stream trickles, the brook flows, the river runs in the vast sea of life.
Remember how much the earth holds
unfolding again and again,
There is endless possibility.”

Our first phenology report also comes from Michelle Martin’s class at Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield.

Ellen: “Hi, this is Ellen-”
Amelie: “And this is Amelie. And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School, way down south in Northfield, Minnesota.”
Ellen: “Wow! Thanks to the rain, everything is greening up!”
Amelie: “There are lots of flowers blooming including lady’s-slippers, bloodroot and wild ginger.”
Ellen: “The maple tree we watch has leafed out.”
Amelie: “The white oak is flowering, and the apple trees have leaf out.”
Ellen: “The birch is dropping pollen, and the Siberian elm has seeds - yum!”
Amelie: “We’ve seen several herons and Oscar saw one with a fish in its beak.”
Ellen: “Ruby is hearing woodpeckers in the morning.”
Amelie: “Andrew saw four goslings.”
Ellen: “Silas reports that the ramps are up.”
Amelie: “He also saw two woodchucks.”
Ellen: “I saw a Scarlet Tanager and a male Ring-necked Pheasant.”
Amelie: “We are still seeing a few juncos-”
Ellen: “But we haven’t seen any hummingbirds or toads yet.”
Amelie: “This has been Prairie Creek-
Ellen: “One more step along the phenology journey.”

"Hi, this is Dixi, Kamela, Di’Angelei reporting from Oak Grove Elementary in Bloomington, Minnesota.
“We are having wonky weather. The temperature is going up and down, with rain off and on.
“This week, we did a big garbage clean up around our school and forest. We found 9 bottle caps, a spoon, earbuds, lots of gloves, bottles and paper.
“We did it to take care of the environment for Earth Day and to prepare for our guests next week. We are getting goats for a day!
“That’s all for today, stay tuned for the next OGE Phenology Club nature episode.
“Keep the earth clean! Every day is Earth Day! Bye!”

Contributed

/

Chad Kaddatz

“This is Bjorn and Rowan reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of April 27.
“We have seen large groups of White Pelicans and Turkey Vultures soaring overhead.
“Yellow-rumped Warblers have returned, along with both Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets. We have also spotted a Pine Warbler this weekend.
“There was a sighting of a dragonfly. It appeared to be a darner, but was very pale in color compared to the common green darners we have seen in the past.
“Hepatica are still blooming in the woods and have been joined by bloodroot and wood anemone. There are also wild leeks popping up in the forest.
“A classmate found a wooly bear caterpillar that has emerged from hibernation, and there are small moths and butterflies in the woods.
“Chipping Sparrows have arrived in Little Falls, along with the White-throated, Song, and Swamp Sparrows.
“After a recent rain, we noticed the roads were stained red with the pollen and flowers of nearby trees. We are assuming they were maples.
“Wasps are starting to appear, along with bumblebees and midges.
“There was a beautiful male Bufflehead on a pond near our school, and the Canada Geese are sitting on their nests.
“Tree Swallows are swooping over our ponds in search of insects.
“We have a Killdeer that has formed her nest in the rocks on the flat roof outside of Mrs. Gwost’s room. We are curious how the young chicks will get down.
“We are seeing all different types of woodpeckers, from Pileated, Red-bellied, and Downy, to the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Northern Flickers that have just arrived.
“Surprisingly, the Pine Siskins and juncos are still around.
“A classmate saw a Brown Thrasher rooting around on the ground for food.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”

“Hello from Mr. Macejkovic’s class at Baxter Elementary School. This is the phenology report for the week of April 28.
“Our names are Tucker, Elsie and Dewey, and we are your phenologists for this week.
“We had big storms with thunder and lightning on the 28th. We really needed the rain!
“Our hazel catkins are done producing pollen when we flick them, they have also leafed out! We had bud break on Wednesday, 4/22. Catkins from the small tooth aspens are beginning to fall in number. We’ve not seen bud break yet!
“We spotted our first dandelions on April 26, which is three weeks later than usual. Our black cherry tree has leafed out.
“Our female maples are starting to drop their flowers.
“Mr. Latimer showed us Pennsylvania sedge flowers. They have not bloomed yet.
“We are patiently waiting for green!
“The European Gooseberry plant in our school’s garden have leafed out.
“The search for our porcupine continues. He keeps eating and we keep looking! We’ve also noticed lots of squirrels ‘playing tag’ - wink wink.
“Our first blue and green darners were seen on 4/24, and our first mourning cloak butterfly was on 4/22. That is kind of late for us, so they were probably around but we just didn’t see them!
“We’ve noticed lots of gnats, beetles and spiders emerging.
“Our spring peepers have emerged on 4/27. They are not out in force yet. We spotted our first painted turtle on 4/20.
“We continue to see new birds! Our first goslings were reported by Presley on 4/15, our first oriole on 4/20, our first Eastern Phoebe and Yellow-rumped Warblers on 4/21.
“A Scarlet Tanager was spotted on Sunday, along with a possible Cliff Swallow.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!!!”

This report is brought to you by Addison, Lily, Logan and the students from Sand Creek Elementary in Minneapolis.

“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on April 23-25, we had a high temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 32.
“Our trip was filled with first-of-the-year sightings. Team Blue saw the first three dragonflies of the season. We didn’t get a great look at them, but we think they are probably common green darners. Team Yellow saw the first mosquito. Hopefully the dragonflies found and ate it. Unfortunately, we also had the first wood tick of the season. Team Red saw a beaver, flowers, and Turkey Vultures.
“All groups heard the nearly constant drumming of Ruffed Grouse. Seeing a beaver was noteworthy because Long Lake staff told us that beavers sightings were rare last year. The tamarack tree buds are turning green in the bog, a chaperone heard turkeys, and Team Green saw what they think was a wooly bear caterpillar.
“We saw a lot of different birds, including an Osprey flying over the lake. In the lake, we saw Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese, a pair of Common Loons, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards and Wood Ducks. We are still seeing lots of juncos.
“The birds and frogs filled campus with their beautiful songs. Nature is bursting with life and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”

“Hey guys, Jacob here-”
“This is Mari-”
“This is Bria-
“And Hunter.”
“We are reporting from Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids. Today is Tuesday, April 22.
“Yesterday was 65 degrees. It felt hot! Today it is raining but it feels warm.
“We saw trees with catkins and buds.
“We heard our first frog calls.
“We saw a black and white duck that looks kind of like loon. We wondered what kind it was.
“Eagles were flying over Potato Lake. Beavers and otters are active in Two Inlets Lake. Sarah saw a bobcat cross the road!
“This Mari, Jacob, Bria and Hunter reporting from Heartland Lakes. Bye!”

"Hello from North Shore Community School on the north shore of Lake Superior. This is the phenology report for the week of April 19, 2025. My name is Naomi, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“On the morning of Monday, April 21, we got 1-2 inches of snow. It was falling in huge flakes. It quickly melted. On Wednesday, April 23, Estelle noticed that she still has a small mound of snow in her yard that has yet to melt.
"On Monday, April 21, Sam and Lane Dover saw hundreds of pelicans at Chambers Grove Park. Also on Monday, Ms. Urban heard a kingfisher at her house. On Tuesday, April 22, Ms. Young’s class saw an Eastern Phoebe in the school forest. Also on Tuesday, Ms. Rademacher’s class, Ms. Young’s class, and Ms. Pierson-Evans saw Killdeer flying around the big kids' playground. On Wednesday, April 23, Ellia saw a Brown Creeper in the school forest. Ms. Urban saw another one later that afternoon. On Thursday, April 24, Ms. Urban heard an Eastern Phoebe singing in her yard as she was eating breakfast.
"On Wednesday, April 23, Ms. Lampela’s class, with some students from Ms. Lounsberry’s class, noticed a snowshoe hare hopping along in the school forest. The hare stopped and ate where the students could watch it, and they noticed that the hare was mostly brown but still had white on its ears, feet, and the tip of its nose. On Friday, April 25, Lorelai spotted a red fox as she was riding the bus to school.
"On Wednesday, April 23, Ms. Urban had a house fly land on her in the school forest. Also on Wednesday, Mrs. Rolfe found a wood tick on her dog.
“On Wednesday, April 23, it was decided that our sap collection was done for this season. The trees are beginning to bud! Ms. Urban has noticed the buds swelling, and on Wednesday she noticed a red maple with buds that had opened. Once the buds begin bursting, the sap no longer tastes good and it is time to pull the taps. Also on this day, Shayla noticed green grass at her house.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!”

"Hi, this is Clara, Sylas, Harlie, and Rayvynne reporting from Cherry School in Iron Junction, Minnesota on April 23, 2025.
“We have been noticing that the weather is starting to clear up and the days have been getting longer. The bugs and animals are starting to come back from hibernation. On ponds and creeks, the ice is gone. On larger lakes, the ice is gone from the shore and large ice chunks are getting pushed around by the wind.
“On April 20 , Clara noticed a loon and a muskrat on Long Lake near Fayal.
“On April 16, Eliza heard a lot of birds chirping when she woke up.
“On April 16, Anna saw two Golden Eagles on Highway 27 eating a doe.
“On April 19, Annelise saw a snowshoe hare that was half brown and half white, with brown spots. It ran across the road really fast. It was long and had a bushy tail.
“On April 18, Michael saw a deer go into his apple pen. It went on its back legs and ate an apple up high.
“Today during our walk in the school forest, we noticed some changes on plants we are observing weekly for our bud burst project. On the American hazelnut, the catkins are starting to get longer and changing colors to yellow and green with a bit of red tips. We can see pollen on the catkins. On the speckled alder, a couple buds have started to burst. On the beaked hazelnut, many of the terminal buds are missing. It looks like a deer ate them.
“We also saw white scat full of fur on a stump. We think it came from an animal that eats other animals. It could be from a fox or coyote. We also saw Red-winged Blackbirds around the cattail pond.
“While walking on the trails in the school forest, we used an app to identify bird sounds. It identified some squawking we heard as a Merlin! Shortly after, we saw it flying around overhead. The Merlin was chasing two smaller birds through the forest.
“This concludes our phenology report. This has been Clara, Sylas, Harlie, and Rayvynne reporting from Cherry School. Nature Rules!”

“This is Ryitt, Clayton, Emmalee, Presley with a report from North Star Elementary on April 24, 2025.
“This is Ryitt. Ariella and I have been seeing and hearing a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in a big maple tree by our houses when we walk to our bus stop in the mornings. They sound kind of like eagles!”
This is Clayton. The young red maples on our playground at school just started flowering this week. We can see the yellow stamen on just a couple of the top branches. The silver maples across the street from our school have a lot more flowers on them. I also saw a small, fuzzy, yellow bee.”
“Ryitt here again. I have seen a few mosquitoes when I go outside to practice pitching in the evenings.”
“This is Emmalee. I have noticed the apple trees in my yard are budding. The buds are still tightly closed.”
“This is Presley. The ice was completely off of Silver Lake in Virginia as of Wednesday, April 23. We have had a lot of nights with low temperatures above freezing lately.”
“This has been a report from North Star Elementary in Virginia. Keep exploring the great outdoors!”

A note from Angie Nistler, leader of the Science Nature Adventure Program:
“Hello John and Charlie,
“I have continued to enjoy the Tuesday morning Phenology Report and the student reports on my old "90's boom box" in my classroom.
“Question: Our SNAP group has been observing the return of the osprey nest closest to the BMS forest and the first day we saw a bird, we realized it was actually a goose. We saw a goose standing in it one year, but the Osprey got to business with it. This past spring we saw the goose two more times only lying low up in the next. Today, I took my scope and monocular to study further and continue to see the goose lying low up there as they look on a nest. Any thoughts on what could be happening?! The newer Osprey next across the road ( John saw it in the fall of 2023) has a lot of activity in it. I've seen the Osprey most mornings this past week. Very curious about this. I could keep you posted.
“I decided to retire from full time teaching after 35 years. I really appreciate being able to work with KAXE during the time with SNAP. SNAP has increased in numbers each year!"

Annabelle: “Hi this is Annabelle, Collin and Mikey reporting from Great Expectations School in Grand Marais MN, on April 24, 2025. The weather has been warm and cold. It has been hard to know if we should wear rain pants or snow pants to recess: It changes every day. There is only a tiny bit of snow left in our backwoods. The ground is still frozen. It has rained multiple times this week. Depending on where you live, sometimes it rains and sometimes it snows. It is warmer closer to Lake Superior right now, so we have less snow than farther away.”
Collin: “There have been lots of more birds seen around. We have gotten our first reports of Sandhill Cranes, robins, flickers, and Red-winged Blackbirds this week. In the mornings birds can now be heard singing when we wake up. The seagulls downtown are starting to become very loud. More geese and swans have also been reported.”
Mikey: “The catkins on the green alder now had pollen last week and some staff and students are having allergies again. This week the pollen has been all blown away. One tree at Miss Emma’s house started to leaf out but all those leaves died after it got too cold, and the buds haven't opened anymore. A wolf was seen at Miss Nikki’s house. The rabbits are still in a mix between white and brown. Edie’s dog got a hold of some rabbits in her back yard. Bald Eagles and deer have been reported daily to our phenology board. This has been Luke D., Annabelle, Robert, Collin and Mikey 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).