Little Falls Middle School
“This is Kylee and Cora reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of September 7.
“One of the first noticeable signs of fall here are the bright red leaves on the sumac shrubs.
“There were large groups of nighthawks passing through our area before sundown early last week.
“We have also seen a surge in the number of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at our feeders.
“We have only seen female or juvenile hummingbirds in the past week, typically fighting with hornets over the feeders.
“Butter and eggs are blooming in our roadsides and fields.
“We saw a Chipping Sparrow feeding a juvenile under a bird feeder, and it seemed like it was late in the year for them to still need to be fed.
“Another early sign of fall was a wooly bear caterpillar found by a classmate.
“The bald-faced hornets and yellow jackets were busy this weekend feeding on pop, lemonade, and other sweet treats that were spilled at the Little Falls Craft Fair.
“Green darners and meadowhawks are still common sights here, and if you go out in the morning, you can get a close up look at them as they are too cold to fly away.
“We are still seeing whitetail bucks with velvet on their antlers.
“Classmates have found tiger salamanders and prairie skinks this week, along with young snapping turtles emerging from their nests.
“Another group that appears to be migrating through are the flickers, as they have started to show up in larger numbers lately.
“One alarming report came from a student who noticed an increase in the amount of dead fish she was seeing in the Mississippi river near her home.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.
Noah from Britt
"Noah from near Britt here! Our family had a great time at Riverfest! I was fortunate to meet some local celebrities! Roger Radio, Scott Hall and my own personal hero John Latimer! Also, on the phenology topic, we had a visit by a somewhat rare animal here in the north woods. The Franklin's Ground squirrel."
Tom from Grand Rapids
"On Saturday there was a broad winged hawk sitting on a telephone pole by the barn. He’s been around for several weeks helping out with the rabbit situation. When should we expect the useful bird to migrate and leave us alone with the rabbits?"
Mary on the Big Marsh
"Good Morning ☀️ everyone.
Wild rose hips are ripe for picking to dry for winter tea.
The crabapples are also ready for picking , ready to make jelly, crabapple butter and fruit leather.
Enjoy the Autumn harvest."
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).
