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Phenology Talkbacks: A warm end to October finds insects still active

A blackboard shows illustrations of the phenology topics for the week of Oct. 28, 2024. Illustrations include a linden looper, wooly alder aphids, bird's nest fungus, ballooning spiders, and a crane fly.
Contributed
/
Chad Kaddatz
A blackboard shows illustrations of the phenology topics for the week of Oct. 28, 2024.

Students and listeners from across the state send in their nature reports. Depending on the season, reports may cover wildflowers, animal behaviors, weather patterns and other wonders.

As October ends, our student phenologists are busy cataloguing the effects of this year's warm weather on fall phenology. Enjoy this week's nine reports!

North Star Elementary School in Virginia

North Star Elementary School phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

“This is Ivy, Shataria, Ryan, Rahmy, Blakely, Emmalee, Allie, and Daniel reporting from North Star Elementary in Virginia, Minnesota on Oct. 23, 2024.

“We have a lot of reports about insects this week. Many of us have noticed an abundance of flies and Asian lady beetles in our homes lately. On the evening of Oct. 21, Mrs. Engel was outside and swatted a mosquito that landed on her forehead. We sure hope that was the last one of fall! Also, while Ben was hunting near Effie, he was swarmed by small insects. He thinks they might have been gnats. He also realized that the wild rice stalks are starting to die back on the Pike River near Britt.

“Blakely has observed that most of our deciduous trees are bare of leaves. She also noticed turkeys and deer on the side of the road on her way to school on Tuesday, Oct.22.

“Gavin noticed a solitary juvenile loon on Lake Vermilion. We wondered why it was alone, so we looked it up and learned that the juvenile loons are left alone when they are about 3 months old. In the fall, their parents migrate a few weeks before the young ones leave. The juveniles will flock up and head to coastal waters together and stay a couple years before heading back to our northern lakes.

“We have had some cool and rainy days this week. More of our mornings have been frosty and it’s still cool when we go out for recess.

“This has been a report from North Star Elementary in Virginia. Keep exploring the great outdoors!"

Cohasset Elementary School

Cohasset Elementary phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

North Shore Community School near Duluth

North Shore Community School phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

“Hello from North Shore Community School on the North Shore of Lake Superior. This is the phenology report for the weeks of Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, 2024. My name is Ellie, and I am your phenologist for this week!

“On Saturday, Oct. 12, we had 11 hours and 7 minutes of daylight. On Saturday, Oct.19, we only had 10 hours and 46 minutes of daylight. This was a decrease of 21 minutes from the week prior. There was a full moon on Thursday, Oct.17.

“Ms. Jackson’s class noted observations of the trees they tagged on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Here are the observations for week 3. The bur oak still has 50% of leaves remaining. Of those leaves, about 95% are colored. The red maple has lost all of its leaves. The paper birch has about 40% of leaves remaining. Of those leaves, about 98% of leaves are colored. The speckled (or gray) alder has only about 3% of leaves remaining. The leaves remaining were green and some looked brown and shriveled. The quaking aspen has about 5% of leaves remaining and all of them are colored.

“They also went out and observed on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Here are the observations for week 4. The bur oak has 3% of leaves remaining and they are all brown. The paper birch has about 7% of leaves remaining and of those, all the leaves are yellow. The speckled (or gray) alder has no leaves remaining. The quaking aspen has about 2% of leaves remaining and of those, all of them are brown.

“Ms. Jackson had a flock of eight turkeys foraging on the ground in her yard on Saturday, Oct. 12. Wild turkeys eat anything they can catch such as ferns, grasses, grains, buds, berries, insects, acorns, and even frogs and snakes!

“On Friday, Oct. 18, Magdalene saw a bear cub in her backyard. It may have been attracted to her chicken coop. The mother bear was not seen. On Friday, Oct. 18, Ms. Jackson startled two mice nesting under her fence. She later found a nest in her wood pile. Two days later on Sunday, Oct. 20th, the mice had already started building a new nest in her gas grill! Mice will be looking for any enclosed place to nest for the winter, so be sure things are locked up tight.

“On Wednesday, Oct.16, Jack saw two dragonflies flying on the big kids playground. On Wednesday Oct. 23, Samantha noticed there were many Asian beetles in her house. They are looking for a warm place to nestle as they are dormant during the winter.

“On Sunday, Oct. 13, Cadence noticed the shed skin of a garter snake by the Lester-Amity Ski Chalet on Seven Bridges Road.

“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week and be observant!”

Pike Lake Elementary near Duluth

Pike Lake Elementary School phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade

This report is brought to you by Tyler, Olivia and the students from Trek North Middle School in Bemidji, reporting from Long Lake Conservation Center for Oct. 21-23.

Long Lake Conservation Center phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024 (TrekNorth)

“The unseasonably warm autumn continued with a high temperature of 76 degrees and a low of 38.

“During lake bottom organisms class, we identified sea shrimp, a fingernail clam, a scud, a phantom midge larva, crawling water beetles, a mud minnow, a crayfish, and dragonfly larva.

“On the lake and in the woods, our group saw a few garter snakes, deer, and - surprisingly - a dandelion flower in bloom.

“We also spotted a robin on Monday, two Common Mergansers, a bevy of swans, a flock of juncos, and leopard frogs near the lakeshore. We noted that some were still green, but others had turned dark.

“It’s a great time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”

This report is brought to you by Coraline, Keaton, Allie, Kailin and the students from Lincoln Middle School in Hibbing, reporting from Long Lake Conservation Center for Oct. 23-25.

Long Lake Conservation Center phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024 (Lincoln)

“The high temperature was 55 degrees and the low was 34. 0.22 inches of much-needed rain fell. After the rain, a few earthworms popped out of the soil. Our trip was about what we’re still seeing and what we’re not seeing anymore.

“We’re still seeing garter snakes in the forest and near the hibernacula. We noted that ones near the hibernacula are very big, about as big around as a quarter. We wonder if there’s a reason the bigger ones are the last to return.

“Trumpeter Swans are still on the lake. We counted nine. Our group spotted moths in the bog.

We saw a rabbit, leopard frogs in the lake and encountered a blue-spotted salamander in the forest. One person in our group found a wood tick during Wilderness Meal. Long Lake staff says it was the first wood tick since August.

“The squirrels and birds that will spend the winter here are very active, including nuthatches, chickadees, all the normal varieties of woodpeckers and lots and lots of Blue Jays.

"What we didn’t notice during our stay were robins, monarch butterflies or chipmunks.

“It’s notable there seems to be no beaver activity on the lake. Other observations from our trip include tamaracks in the bog still have most of their needles, but they’re falling fast.

“Milkweed pods have split open. The Long Lake staff told us that there aren’t as many milkweed pods this year, probably because of the wet spring and dry summer and autumn.

“The times they are a-changin’, but there’s never a bad time to explore nature. We want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”

Little Falls Middle School

Little Falls Middle School phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

“This is Bjorn and Kyce reporting from Mr. Kaddatz’s class in Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of Oct. 27.

“The Mississippi River is as low as many of us have ever seen it before.

“We have seen and heard a lot of Blue Jays in large groups this week.

“Large groups of grackles, starlings, and robins are also moving around Little Falls.

“We did watch a group of smaller birds mobbing a much larger eagle as it tried to fly away from them, and another pair of Bald Eagles feeding on a roadkill deer carcass.

“Most of our birch trees are completely leafless.

“Mr. Kaddatz has a Silver Maple that has dropped all of its leaves, but the upper branches appear to be full of buds and it looks similar to a spring time tree.

“A classmate saw a doe with some fawns that were still very small. They must have been a late-season birth.

“There have been sightings of the unique blue-colored wooly alder aphid drifting around on their short migration to maple trees.

“The turkeys have been gobbling and making a lot of noise in the early morning this week, and we are seeing more Ring-necked Pheasants near roadways.

“A student captured a flying squirrel on a camera as it visits her bird feeder, and now it has become a regular evening visitor.

“We did have an Eastern Bluebird sighting this week, which seems to be late in the season for them to still be around.

“Sow bugs, harvestmen, and a variety of different beetles have been seen this week.

“Spider egg sacs are easy to spot on windows and siding, and on sunny days we have seen glints of light reflecting off the ballooning spiders as they drift by.

“That is our report for this week. Until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”

Oak Grove Elementary School

Oak Grove Elementary School phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

“Hi, this is Mircella, Ikhlas and Mirren reporting from Oak Grove Elementary in Bloomington, Minnesota.

“This week’s weather has been a mix. The temperature has gone from the 80s to the 40s. It’s been mostly sunny and windy, with occasional clouds.

"We’ve had zero precipitation this week, which has resulted in us being in a red flag warning zone for wildfires.

"With our animal observations, we noticed there was an owl flying in our school forest. We do not know what kind it was, but it was big and white and gray. It was very quiet. We heard a lot of crows and they were going towards the owl.

“With our plant observations, we noticed a lot of our leaves are turning colors and falling. Three-quarters of our maple leaves have fallen, but none of our oak leaves have fallen. Our tamarack is starting to turn yellow.

"We are wondering if that owl will show up again, and what will happen with the buckthorn.

"That’s all for today, stay tuned for the next OGE Phenology Club nature episode! BYE!”

Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield

Prairie Creek Community School phenology report: Oct. 29, 2024

Theo: “Hi, this is Theo...”
Henry: “...and this is Henry...”
Theo: “...and we’re from Prairie Creek Community School...”
Henry: “...way down south in Northfield, Minnesota.”
Theo: “The leaves have really come down this past week, haven’t they, Henry?”
Henry: “Yes! We are now past peak color. It’s one of the latest years since we started keeping records in our class.”
Theo: “We have been seeing a lot of juncos.”
Henry: “Oscar saw an eagle and heard it call.”
Theo: “Sophie’s dad saw a heron - that is the first one in weeks.”
Henry: “We have been seeing a lot of geese and seagulls.”
Theo: “There were several murmurations of starlings...”
Henry: “...and some turkeys.”
Theo: “We had a lot of deer sightings.”
Henry: “Silas saw a deer swimming across a lake and a deer licked his dad’s trail camera.”
Theo: “We have seen three chipmunks.”
Henry: “Ellen’s badger is still digging holes.”
Theo: “On our way in from recess last week, we watched a mole digging a tunnel.”
Henry: “Andrew saw a snake on a trail.”
Theo: “They thought it might be a rattlesnake but it’s not in the right area.”
Henry: “Those snakes and chipmunks had better start getting to their winter homes.”
Theo: “Yeah! It’s going to be eighty today, but it will be cold by Thursday.”
Henry: “This has been Prairie Creek...”
Theo: “One more step along the phenology journey.”


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).

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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.)