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Science and Nature
KAXE Morning Show

Phenology report: Fermented fruits lead to boozy birds

By Charlie Mitchell
Published September 13, 2024 at 11:55 AM CDT
A perched Cedar Waxwing cranes its neck in a strange fashion.
Contributed
/
Modified from original iNaturalist observation by Matthew Thompson
A Cedar Waxwing strikes a strange pose in Fort Snelling State Park on Sept. 5, 2022.

KAXE Staff Phenologist John Latimer provides his weekly assessment of nature in Northern Minnesota. This is the week of Sept. 10, 2024.

Fall has arrived, and things are changing fast! This week, John reminds us to take note of the departing monarch butterflies, the beautiful colors of the dogwoods, and the potentially tipsy shenanigans of fruit-eating birds. You never know which berries might have fermented a bit!

Topics

  • Introduction (0:00-0:30) 
  • Dogbanes and dogwoods (0:30-2:47) 
  • Silver maples (2:47-4:19) 
  • Shrubs changing color (4:19-5:03) 
  • Fruit trees: leaves and fruits (5:03-6:17) 
  • Lilacs (6:17-7:35, 16:00-17:07) 
  • Wildflowers (7:45-8:34) 
  • Insects (8:34-12:22) 
  • Fruits, berries, and boozed-up birds (12:22-14:34) 
  • Northern Flickers (14:34-15:02) 
  • Wooly Bear caterpillars (15:02-16:00) 
  • Conclusion (17:07-18:01) 

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).

Tags
KAXE Morning Show PhenologyKAXE Morning ShowTuesday Morning ShowKAXEPhenology ReportFall phenology
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Charlie Mitchell
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.)
See stories by Charlie Mitchell