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Phenology Report: Hummingbirds disappear and skunk kits explore

 A family of skunk kits cross a paved road in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin during late June, 2016. The kits are about the size of a pop can, not including the tail, and have black bodies with white stripes. It looks like the photo was taken in the evening.
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A family of skunk kits cross a paved road in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin during late June, 2016.

KAXE Staff Phenologist John Latimer provides his weekly assessment of nature in Northern Minnesota. This is the week of July 9, 2024, featuring hummingbirds, skunks, and July wildflowers.

As the hottest month of the year begins, Staff Phenologist John Latimer has no shortage of phenology events to share. This week, John's local Bald Eaglet fledged, hummingbird eggs hatched, and we revisit the unsettling world of roadkill phenology.

Topics

  • Introduction (0:00-0:26) 
  • June and July weather (0:26-1:09) 
  • Axel Newstok visits Colorado (1:09-3:36) 
  • Hummingbird feeder seasonality (3:36-6:17) 
  • Sandhill crane colts (6:17-6:51) 
  • Bald eaglet fledges (6:51-8:05) 
  • Magpie, dragonfly, nesting turtle (8:05-8:40) 
  • Roadkill phenology: skunk edition (8:40-9:28) 

  • Raspberry ripening by region (9:28-10:01) 
  • Wildflower developments (10:01-14:54) 
  • Canada thistle and bull thistle (10:01-10:41) 
  • Sulphur cinquefoil (10:41-11:04) 
  • Rabbit’s-foot clover (11:04-11:40) 
  • Fireweed (11:40-12:26) 
  • Milkweeds and dogbanes (12:26-12:41) 
  • Tall meadow rue (12:41-13:37) 
  • Birdsfoot trefoil (13:37-14:11) 
  • Tansy (14:11-14:54) 
  • Monarch butterflies (14:54-16:21) 
  • Conclusion (16:21-17:06) 

Roadkill phenology

The phenology show is normally quite wholesome, full of pretty flowers, singing birds, and surprising wildlife sightings. Against that comforting background, John’s occasional forays into the gory world of roadkill phenology never fail to catch me by surprise.

Last month brought an unfortunate end to many young crows. By July, most fledgling corvids have either wised up or been run down, and skunk kits take their place as the unfortunate victims of note.

When baby skunks (properly called kits) leave the den, they follow their mother like a bunch of inquisitive, furry Oreos on parade. Unfortunately, this adorable skunklet train lacks the ability to “Choo choo,” so they often get hit when their route intersects with roads.

Enter John Latimer, the man who could find a phenological data point in a bowl of oatmeal. As he points out, the first road-killed skunk kits typically appear in early July – right around the time they emerge from the den to start exploring the wide world with their moms.

“Some of that exploring is in areas where they probably wish they hadn’t gone,” John concluded, then seamlessly transitioned into the lovely world of summer wildflowers.

Have you noticed any strange seasonal patterns? 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).

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Charlie Mitchell (she/they) joined KAXE in February of 2022. Charlie creates the Season Watch Newsletter, produces the Phenology Talkbacks show, coordinates the Phenology in the Classroom program, and writes nature-related stories for KAXE's website. Essentailly, Charlie is John Latimer's faithful sidekick and makes sure all of KAXE's nature/phenology programs find a second life online and in podcast form.<br/><br/><br/>With a background in ecology and evolutionary biology, Charlie enjoys learning a little bit about everything, whether it's plants, mushrooms, or the star-nosed mole. (Fun fact: Moles store fat in their tails, so they don't outgrow their tunnels every time conditions are good.)