Oak Grove Elementary School in Bloomington
“Hi, This is Mr. Cline and Ms. Laura starting OGE’s final phenology club report. We wanted to recap all the amazing things our 40-student club did this school year. What did we do this year?”
“We found a fox on our campus. We searched for where it was living, including putting up an outdoor camera.
“We tapped a maple tree and boiled it down to make maple syrup. We then did a taste test against another tree’s syrup and also against ‘fake’ syrup. A majority of us preferred the maple syrup from the trees.
“We saw owls, eagles, foxes, deer, opossum, a muskrat, crows and geese.
“We found tracks, scat, fur/feathers, and even a skull from owls, birds, rabbits, deer, coyote, and foxes.
“We discovered a deer bed and several duck eggs.
“We regularly observed trees on our campus, focusing on a red oak, a maple and a tamarack.
“We twice did a campus cleanup and found everything from a spoon to AirPods to a rollerblade wheel.
“We had a guest speaker come in from Como Zoo to share different types of animals, including pellets, skulls, wings, and coats.
"Mr. Latimer visited us and walked us through our woods and identified many plants, animals signs and talked to us about being careful about eating berries.
"We tasted wild chives, fed the birds, and cleaned up some branches.
"We even had a plan to have goats come visit us, but the threat of tornadoes stopped our plan. Maybe next year.
"We learned a lot about hibernation and adaptation, especially in the winter.
"We learned about the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and all the different job opportunities and work that the department does.
"We tracked the weather and looked for different seasons and changes.
"We tracked the growth of buckthorn, river birch and a red maple (the buds and leaves).
"We saw a tree fall and observed the overall health of our 20 trees that we planted 2 years ago.
“That is all from the 2024-25 OGE Phenology Club. We would like to thank Mr. Latimer for putting our podcasts on the radio and responding to our work. Thank you and have a great summer. BYE!!”
Justice Page Middle School in Minneapolis
Linwood Elementary School in Wyoming, Minnesota
"Greetings from Mr. Steffen’s fourth grade class in the Linwood School Forest. This is Carter, Layla, and Carver reporting on our observations from the week ending May 16.
“This week we observed that our maples have achieved full leaf out, including the lower half of our fallen red maple. The black walnut lost all its green cobs; they must have been flowers! The lilac flowers have opened with most being blown off during the wind from the last few days.
“We also observed that our white spruce and Norway pine have about 1 inch of light green growth at the end of their branches. Also, a few weeks ago, someone found a white wormlike sack and brought it into the classroom. Much to our surprise, it hatched into a bumblebee this week.
“We also saw it a Dobson fly larvae, called a hellgrammite, which took a bite out of our naturalist Kevin. We also found wood and tree frogs and mosquito larvae in the pond. Students are reporting seeing adult and baby turtles around the area.
“In the forest, we saw small blue butterflies and our class observed a female stag beetle. Someone found an acorn that had sprouted floating in the lake.
"That is all from the Linwood School Forest and remember, there is no place like Linwood!”
Little Falls Middle School
“This is CJ and Bryce reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of May 18.
“Ella had a sow black bear with 3 cubs visit her yard and sneak off with some old gingerbread houses.
“The Killdeer eggs outside Mrs. Gwost’s room appear to have hatched. Last week, the female was periodically joined by the male as she was sitting on the nest.
“The House Wrens are back and are singing in the mornings.
“The goldfinches are now a bright yellow color.
“This week we have identified a Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, and a Nashville Warbler.
“Drake captured a video of an Eastern Hognose Snake that was in the water and swam very easily. It was also flattened out to look intimidating.
“We are seeing a lot of orioles and hummingbirds at our feeders.
“We received a video of a beaver preening itself and rubbing oil over its fur to keep it waterproof.
“There were a few days last week where the cottonwood seeds were blowing around in the wind.
“The male cones on the red pine are getting larger and more noticeable. They should soon be producing pollen.
“In the woods we have found bellwort, which is a droopy looking flower named after our uvula, the dangly thing in the back of our throats.
“Morel mushrooms are popping up in large numbers around here for those lucky enough to know where to find them.
“Prairie smoke and wild columbine have started growing flowers and should be more prevalent this next week.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”
Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Ben, Seth, Hayley, Lincoln and the students from Central Elementary School in Norwood Young America.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 12-14, summer arrived early with a high temperature of 86 and a low of 56. The warm weather woke up the mosquitos who swarmed to life yesterday. Kayley reported that they seemed particularly large and hungry.
“On a happier note, orioles and bluebirds returned to the campus for the first time this spring, but still no hummingbirds. We also heard a Barred Owl hooting, turkeys gobbling and Ovenbirds singing. We also enjoyed seeing goldfinches, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-winged Blackbirds and a Ruffed Grouse.
In the woods, we saw a few deer that looked plump and happy, a tussock moth caterpillar wiggling on a path, and a leopard frog, baby crawfish and dragonfly larva on the shore of the lake. Sydney watched a water bug eat the face off of a dragonfly larva. Gross, but cool!
"Almost everyone in our group had a tick on them. It’s definitely tick check season. It was a great week in nature, and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”
This report is brought to you by Sawyer, Camila and the students from Cold Spring Elementary.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 15-16, the temperatures fell and so did lots and lots of rain. The high temperature was only 50 degrees on Friday, almost 30 degrees colder than Thursday. We had 1.75 inches of rain in total.
“Before the rain began, our group measured the lake level at 1.62 feet. After heavy, steady rains, the lake rose to 1.65 feet. In all, the lake has risen .32 inches since the beginning of May.
“One interesting observation was foam forming at the base of trees during the rain. Long Lake staff said this natural phenomenon is called stemflow mixing. This is when the rain runs down the trunk of a tree, collecting dust, salt and other stuff in the bark, causing it to foam or froth.
“Our group had a pair of unexpectedly close encounters with critters. During a hike, a Red-winged Blackbird swooped at a phone. It didn’t like it for some reason. Maybe it was reminding us to put the phone away and pay attention to nature.
“Mr. Kothrade and some adults reported that a raccoon walked right between where they were sitting around the campfire. They said it freaked them out a little.
“We were excited to encounter a blue-spotted salamander in the woods.
“Trumpeter Swans were scarce during our trip, and only a single Common Loon was seen, making us wonder if we’ll be seeing baby loons and swans soon. Our group imitated the song of a male bluebird and - surprisingly - it actually sang back.
“A little rain couldn’t stop us from exploring, and we and the Red-wing Blackbirds want to remind everyone to put your phones away, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”
Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids
“This is Clyne, Sarah, Blayze, Declan and Gatlin reporting from Heartland Lakes Community School. Today is May 14, 2025.
“The weather has been hot!
“Mari's mom is making dandelion jelly.
“Trees are full of pollen. Some people are having bad allergies.
“A small bear wrecked our bird feeder, and the dogs chased it.
“We are hearing frogs and toads.
“Many trees are blooming.
“Birds are calling early in the morning.
“Today is our final report for the school year.
“This is Clyne, Sarah, Blayze, Declan and Gatlin 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 May 10, 2025. My name is Annabell, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“On Monday, May 12, Ms. Urban ate breakfast on her deck and saw or heard 17 different bird species! She heard a lot of birds singing, including a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson’s Thrush, Chipping Sparrow, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Nashville Warbler. On May 13, Mrs. Rolfe’s neighbor was happy to see a Scarlet Tanager on her suet feeder. Teddy saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at his church youth group on Wednesday, May 14. Also on Wednesday, May 14, Ms. Urban heard a Common Yellowthroat singing in her yard.
"Mrs. Rolfe saw her first garter snake this spring on Monday, May 12.
“On Thursday evening, Mrs. Rolfe spotted a black bear lumbering along the side of the Berquist Road, it was the first bear she had seen this spring. Several students on Bus 7 spotted a fox on the way to school on Friday, May 16. The students noticed that the foxes' fur is going through the molting process as it gets ready for warmer weather.
“The marsh marigolds are in full bloom this week! Pin cherries and wild plum trees are starting to flower this week too. While Mrs. Rolfe’s class was out for EE on Thursday, May 15, they were looking for spring ephemerals. They found lots of new growth, including wild sarsaparilla, starflower, large-leaved aster, ostrich and lady ferns, and wild leeks in the forest around Shelter One. Wood anemones, yellow and purple violets, and sessile bellwort are all flowering! On Thursday, Ms. Urban noticed that there was quite a bit of algae growing in patches in the stream.
“On Monday, May 12 at 8:05 in the morning the temp was 77.5 degrees! Thursday, May 15 brought a much-needed thunderstorm. The rain continued through the night into Friday, May 16.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!”
Cohasset Elementary School
North Star Elementary School in Virginia
“This is Cole, Maddy, Ethan, and Avaya with a report from North Star Elementary on May 15, 2025.
“This is Cole. At my house, I found a pole that had a nest on it and there were three blue robin’s eggs in it.
“This is Maddy. When my family and I were going for a walk to the park, we found a nest in one of the trees. We didn’t see any eggs in it yet.
“This is Ethan. The sandflies and mosquitoes are out. They’re really annoying.
“This is Avaya. There is a big patch of dandelions at my house and my dog rolls in it every day. On our playground the tamarack needles are 2 centimeters long now. They have grown a centimeter in a week!
“This is Cole again. My house is about 18 miles away from the Camp House Fire. As of today, it covers almost 15,000 acres. It’s really smoky outside at my house. My dad is paying close attention and told us to be ready to evacuate, but so far, we haven’t needed to. Hopefully we will get a lot of rain soon.
“This is Maddy again. My family and I are close to the green zone near Babbitt. It’s so smoky at my house that I don’t want to be outside. The smoke isn’t good for our lungs. I hope the fires get put out soon so I can get back to exploring the great outdoors in my neighborhood.
“This has been a report from North Star Elementary in Virginia.
“Keep exploring the great outdoors!”
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).
