Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Isaac and the future teachers from MN North Itasca Class Act Pre-Education group.
“Hello, this is Isaac from the MN North Itasca Class Act Pre-Education group reporting from Long Lake Conservation Center from August 21-22.
“The high temperature was 81 degrees with 60% humidity and a south wind at 11 miles per hour.
“Here are some of the nature notes from our trip… We saw leopard frogs, beavers near their lodge on the lake, chicken of the woods, chanterelle mushrooms, coral tooth fungus, and another mushroom that smelled like pine.
“There are signs of autumn all around, including a few maples showing the earliest signs of turning color. We suspect that these are sick or stressed trees, because this is too early. The first of the sarsaparilla leaves are turning yellow. Aster and goldenrod are in bloom.
“We spotted a handful of bumble bees mostly on the bee balm. Long Lake staff says that the population of bumble bees is way down compared to previous years. A July bee survey found zero.
“A few groups of waterfowl have stopped by the lake, including mergansers, Buffleheads and a Great Blue Heron. They aren’t staying for long, so they are only making a short pit stop on the long journey south. It was a great visit with nature, and we want to remind you to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!"
Sugar Lake Lodge near Grand Rapids
Little Falls Middle School
Next, we’re going to take a look at what Chad Kaddatz’s students at Little Falls Middle School are seeing this summer. You can see their pictures on Instagram at little_falls_phenology.
Don Leaon in Stearns County
“Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo Bees can easily be mistaken for wasps due to their lack of pollen collecting hairs, and their wasp-like body structure.
“Cuckoo Bees are kleptoparasites. They do not build their own nests, or harvest provisions for their offspring. Instead, like Cuckoo birds, they lay their eggs in the nests of other species.
“Female Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo Bees lay their eggs in the ground nests of Squash Bees (bees that specialize in foraging on flowers in the genus Cucurbita to include squash, pumpkin, and gourd). When the eggs hatch, the larvae will kill the Squash Bee larvae and consume the pollen and nectar provisions within the nest.
“Though the actions of Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo bees may be disconcerting, their presence may be indicative of a healthy Squash Bee population.”
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, subscribe 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).
