While Staff Phenologist John Latimer was out of town during a warm spell, his local fruit trees came into and out of flowering at warp speed. When he returned, the weather had cooled and the remaining blossoms were sitting there quietly, without the usual accompanying hum of insects visiting the flowers.
John has noticed fluctuations like these in previous years, and he’s curious if he missed out on the bee activity because he was gone during the warm days, or if the lack of bees is representative of a larger decline.
We would “bee” very interested to hear from you – did you see many bees this spring? Please let us know: email me at cmitchell@kaxe.org, email John Latimer at jlatimer@kaxe.org, or send us all an email at comments@kaxe.org.
Topics
Introduction (0:00-0:23)
- Spring in hyperspeed (0:23-1:38)
Invertebrates (1:38-4:26)
- Wood ticks and deer ticks (1:38-2:57)
- Suspicious lack of bees (2:57-4:26)
Plant phenology (4:26-17:26)
- Shrubs and brush (4:26-9:16)
- Trees (9:16-14:04)
- Understory plants (14:04-17:26)
Vertebrates (17:26-18:42)
- Hummingbird courting (17:26-18:08)
- Nesting loons and eagles (18:08-18:42)
Conclusion (18:42-19:13)
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).
