Ruth, Axel, and Pearl Newstok near Grand Rapids
Charlie Mitchell near Marine on St. Croix
"Good morning John and Heidi, this is Charlie reporting from Marine on St. Croix.
“Last week, the white pines released their pollen and every single surface was covered in a thick layer of yellow. A brief rain yesterday finally washed most of it off, but it was an impressive display by the pines.
“The wild strawberries are ripe, to our great delight! One of our neighbors had the foresight to notice a roadside patch of strawberries and avoid mowing over it. It’s now producing handfuls of delicious berries.
“Also along the road, invasive Dame’s rockets are blooming in huge numbers. They look a bit like wild phlox, but they have 4 petals instead of five. Despite their negative impact on the native ecosystem, they are absolutely gorgeous. I’ve found it’s a win-win-win to tear them out by the roots and re-use the blooms as bouquets. I get to play outside, the ecosystem gets a bit healthier, and someone I love gets some pretty flowers!
“The black bear was back last week. This time, we remembered to bring our bird feeders inside and they escaped without injury.
“We still occasionally hear the Barred Owl fledglings calling at the end of our driveway, but they aren’t as loud and persistent as they were a few weeks ago.
“A final question before I go; are juvenile grey squirrels running around yet? We have a few suspiciously small squirrels darting around, but they don’t have the scraggly tails I usually associate with young squirrels. I’m wondering if they might be adults that just look smaller without their winter fur.
“Thank you, and have a great morning! This is Charlie Mitchell: going hither and thither on the St. Croix River.”
Erin in the Twin Cities
Erin captured a video of a Pileated Woodpecker feeding its chicks in the cavity of a large aspen tree. Here is the sound of the young ones begging for food.
Little Falls Middle School phenology account
The students may be on summer break, but they are still sending observations to their Instagram page at Little_falls_phenology.
This week, they found 6 coyote pups playing in a field and 2 bear cubs playing alongside their mother in a road. They also discovered an adult Blanding’s turtle, a few four-leaved clovers, an Orchard Oriole, and much more.
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).
