In this week’s phenology report, John teaches us about chicken-of-the-woods fungi, plant personalities and why Blue Jays go bald in August*. Enjoy!
Topics
- Introduction (0:00-0:26)
- Asters (0:26-0:47, 6:18-9:44)
- Chicken-of-the-woods and oak trees (0:47-4:17)
- Fishing spider (4:17-6:18)
- Spotted touch-me-nots, aka jewelweeds (9:44-11:11)
- Plant personalities and fall colors (11:11-12:44, 14:17-14:33)
- Speckled alder “cones” and galls (12:44-14:17)
- Bird migrations (14:33-15:03)
- Bird behaviors and molting (15:03-16:18)
- Black bears and wood ticks (16:18-17:10)
- Conclusion (17:10-17:51)
- Downy rattlesnake plantain addendum (17:51-18:57)
*Blue Jays molt their head feathers in late summer and early fall. Enjoy this gallery of janky-looking jays:
1 of
— molting blue jay 4
A Blue Jay in the middle of molting its head feathers perches on a platform feeder in Minneapolis on Aug. 19, 2021.
Contributed / iNaturalist user jldm
2 of
— molting blue Jay 2
A Blue Jay in the middle of molting its head feathers perches on a bird feeder hook in East Gull Lake during Sep. 15, 2021.
Contributed / Lorraine Briddon via iNaturalist
3 of
— molting blue jay 1
A Blue Jay in the middle of molting its head feathers perches on a dead branch in Sherburne County on Aug. 26, 2022.
Contributed / iNaturalist user earnoodles
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).
