A baby announcement and a gnarly snapping turtle featured in this week’s “Phenology Talkbacks” segment with John Latimer.
Please note as schools let out for the summer, we become more and more hungry for reports for our Phenology Talkbacks segment. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your observations, nature tales and insights! Get in touch with me (smitchell@kaxe.org), John Latimer (jlatimer@kaxe.org), or text "phenology" to 218-326-1234.
Newstok family near Grand Rapids
The Newstok family reported a loon chick hatched in a nearby nest on the lake where they spend the summer.
“On June 30, I saw the loon sitting on her nest. In the early morning of July 1, my parents heard the sweetest chirping from the nest and saw a fuzzy black baby loon right next to the mom,” reports Pearl Newstok.
“On July 2, the loons and their baby were already swimming,” continues Axel Newstok. “We went to the nest and found the egg membrane and shell bits floating in the water.”
The Newstoks also reported weeds breaking the surface of the lake and a dozen monarch chrysalises in the garden.
“On July 3, I can see their wings starting to form inside the beautiful green chrysalises,” Axel comments.
Tara from Shakopee Middle School
Tara, a seventh grade teacher whose class regularly participates in Talkbacks during the school year, sent a note to John with a photo of a large snapping turtle on the road.
“He wasn't the biggest I've ever seen, but with all the algae growing on his shell, he was definitely the gnarliest and kindest,” Tara writes. “No snapping at me.”
John says his wife is afraid of snapping turtles and for good reason.
“You should be afraid of snapping turtles. They can do extreme damage if you are unlucky enough to get your finger or an appendage in its mouth,” John says. “Now the truth about snapping turtles is that they're very shy and when they're in the water, they have no interest in you. You are not food to them. They will let you walk right next to them and they will retreat. They don't want you to bother them.
“They mostly are ambush hunters. They sit quietly. And if something comes by — a fish, a frog — … they can extend their neck nearly the length of their shell.”
Kathleen from Brainerd
Turtles were the subject of another submitted photo to KAXE. Kathleen from Brainerd captured an image of turtles sunning themselves on a sandbar in the Mississippi River.
“Sandbars are really lovely spots to look for turtles. You're going to find painted turtles there,” John says. “If you're on the Mississippi, you might find the spiny softshell or just the softshell.”
As always, we hope to hear from you, dear reader. Let us know what you find out there.
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).
