North Star Elementary School in Virginia
“This is Evelyn, Kenzie, Charles, Olivia, Sadie and Maddie with a report from North Star Elementary on September 22, 2025.
“This week, we noticed that about 10% of the leaves on the silver maple trees across the street from our school have turned yellow. The red maples in the area have gotten really bright red. Paper birch and aspens are turning yellow too. Zoe noticed the leaves of the white oaks in her neighborhood are turning brownish orange and falling already. She also noticed lobster mushrooms and chanterelles popping up. The forest is a beautiful place to be right now!
“Evelyn noticed that the petals on the purple cone flowers in our schoolyard are falling off.
Kenzie noticed some of the 3-year-old needles have fallen off the red pines and are on the ground. Levi noticed several leaves falling off our red maple trees. He noticed that the leaves had fallen first from the top of the tree.
“Sadie noticed that the needles on the tamarack trees are starting to turn orange.
“The garter snakes are still pretty active. On Sunday, September 14, Sadie, Zoe, Brooke, “Evelyn, Ella, and Felicia saw one at the top of the hill at Giants Ridge. Mrs. Engel also saw one when she was on a walk near Gilbert on Monday the 15th.
“We have been seeing a lot of Mourning Cloak butterflies on the ground and in flight lately. Liberty saw a Monarch Butterfly on Tuesday, September 16.
“Gianna noticed that the wasp nests near her house seem to be empty. Nothing is coming or going from them anymore.
“Parker noticed a couple dead bees on his porch on September 21.
“On September 17, Bentley B. had a bear digging through the trash cans at his house. He also noticed that it had taken his bird feeder down.
“Aiden saw about 5 grouse in his yard, eating berries on Thursday, September 18.
“Mia noticed that the grasses in her neighborhood are turning brown and dying off for the season.
“This has been a report from North Star Elementary in Virginia.
“Keep exploring the great outdoors!”
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 September 12, 2025. My name is Lydia, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“September 16, the weather outside was unusually warm, with a high of 83 degrees, humid, and sunny.
“On Sunday, September 14th Valerie noticed that Maple trees, in her yard, had started to change color. She believes that about 20% of the leaves have turned red or orange. Ms. Jackson’s class observed several mushrooms on the school nature trail on Tuesday, September 16 due to the moist soil conditions, and Leo spotted large-leaved aster still in bloom. Mrs. Rolfe’s class observed a lot of first year baby maple tree sprouts by Shelter 1 and 2 that had already turned amazing shades of orange and red on Tuesday, September 16th. Also on September 16, Cora noticed that most raspberry plants have lost all their raspberries and have had most of their leaves turn brown.
“Lars heard several barn owls hooting at his house on the evening of Tuesday, September 16.
“On Sunday September 14, Lydia saw a small bear running across the road heading into the Hawk Ridge, probably looking for food. The next day, Valerie saw a black bear cross her driveway. They suspect the reason for the more frequent viewing of bears is because bears now spend up to 22 hours a day eating and can gain up to 4 pounds a day. The goal is to bulk up with enough fat stores to stay healthy throughout the winter. Also on Sunday, September 14th Gavin saw a skunk playing with his dog's toy trying to get treats out. Ms. Jackson spotted several dug up holes in her yard, which were made by a skunk. Lars spotted a porcupine that afternoon around 3:00 p.m. which is an unusual time for one to be seen. On Tuesday, September 16 Azalea spotted a deer in her yard that she has been watching over several weeks. Its hide is beginning to turn a darker color. She knows it is the same deer due to a unique trait.
“On Monday, September 15 Ms. Jackson spotted flies getting into her room by squeezing through the window screens and Julia had noticed this as well at her house on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, September 16, Jaxton had a tiny woodtick on his hand when his class was outside on the school nature trail. Segovia noticed an ant hill at her house with ants busy building, and some of them had wings! Mrs. Rolfe spotted three morning cloak butterflies in a maple tree by Shelter 1 on Tuesday, too. She was hoping to see a Monarch butterfly but she believes that they have all started their migration to warmer areas.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!”
Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Rosaria, Leighton, Harper and the students from DaVinci Academy in Ham Lake.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on September 17th through the 19th, we had a sunny high of 78 degrees and a rainy low of 54.
“Like the weather, we had a mix of summer and autumn nature sightings, including lots of different mushrooms. Rosaria found one with a pink ring-like pattern, Vasiliy found a Jack-o-Lantern mushroom and Aila was excited to find a Bolete or Penny Bun mushroom. Ayah found a blue one and Nolan found 15 different mushrooms, including Chicken of the Woods.
“The leaves are turning colors and starting to fall. Garter snakes were on the move, and Aila and Harper spotted a big leopard frog near the lake. In the bog, pitcher plants are doing well at catching gnats and small insects. We found and ate a few ripe cranberries and the Cotton Grass is starting to lose its seeds. Pelecinid (pell-i-SIN-id) wasps were seen and a few mosquitos found us at night. The berries are on the Winterberry or Holly Bush.
“One of the highlights was finding an abandoned turkey nest. Most of the eggs were open and gone, but one did not hatch. Theo found two turkey feathers near the nest. We had a great week in nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!”
Reporter name(s): Rosaria, Leighton, and Harper
Little Falls Middle School
“This is Mattia and Peyton reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of September 21st.
“Juvenile male Cardinals are starting to grow patches of red feathers on their chests and head.
“Green Darner dragonflies are still around hunting small insects, and we are still seeing Nighthawks overhead.
“Ragweed is definitely producing a lot of pollen right now, and many people at school are feeling the effects of seasonal allergies.
“We spotted a Wooly Alder Aphid drifting through a backyard this week.
“We were surprised to hear the Cicadas were still buzzing in the afternoons.
“We still have some Jewelweed flowers in bloom, and the seed pods provide lots of entertainment as we assist them in seed dispersal.
“Salamanders are becoming a more frequent sight as the cooler temps are keeping things more moist during the day.
“Grass spiders are making the sheet and funnel webs in our yard, and we also saw a Marbled Orb Weaver.
“One Buck with partial velvet was seen this week, and we also had a pair of bucks sparring on a trail camera.
“At the end of last week, there were several sightings of groups of Northern Flickers in Little Falls, so we know they are migrating through.
“A pair of juvenile White Throated Sparrows showed up this past week.
“Even though most trees are still full of leaves, every day more and more dead leaves are appearing on our lawns.
“We saw a Crane Fly this week, and there are swarms of small flies and midges in fields.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with 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, 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).
