As we move into mid-November, our team of student phenologists are keeping careful track of seasonal events. Enjoy these ten reports!
Great Expectations School in Grand Marais
“Hi, this is Edie, Arlo, and Grace reporting from Great Expectations School in Grand Marais on Oct. 30.
“We have been noticing that most of our deciduous trees have lost their leaves. My trampoline was covered in fallen leaves the other day. The red maple next to our school has now lost over 50% of its leaves. Just a few days before it had only lost a little of its leaves.
“We are noticing a lot more frost as well. Saturday there was frost until around 9:30 am. On Tuesday night, we had a large storm, winds were blowing between 15 and 20 miles per hour. In Grand Marais we got about ½ an inch of rain. With all the frost we have been getting many of our families have been cleaning out our gardens and harvesting the last bits of food like squash.
“We have also noticed that our backwoods look like they have less plants. They seem to have just disappeared. They haven't disappeared, however, but gone dormant - meaning they are going into a sleep-like state where they might lose their stems and leaves and don’t work on growing until the spring.
“We still are seeing a few flowers around other parts of the school like ox-eye daisies, asters, and butter-and-eggs. This has been Arlo, Grace and Edie reporting from Great Expectations School.”
Apple Blossom School in Bemidji
North Star Elementary School in Virginia
“Hey there from North Star Elementary in Virginia, Minnesota. Today is Nov. 6, 2024.
“This is Nu’Bien. I noticed it was VERY frosty and foggy this morning. I saw a bit of sun covered by clouds but other than that, it is cold out there.
“Hi this is Alaina, and I noticed that since daylight savings time ended last weekend, the sky gets dark very early. I noticed that it gets dark by 5 or 4 pm where I am.
“Autumn here. Just after dark at my house in Britt, I have been hearing wolves howling in the woods. They sound like my dad’s snoring!
“Hello this is Zach, and I observed that this is a great year for grouse hunting. There are a lot of birds in the thick brush on the side of the trails. The grouse blend in very good.
“Howdy there, I’m Brody, and I noticed that the deer that visit my yard have shed the velvet off their antlers and they have grown their thicker coats. I saw two bucks last night and they had really dark and thick coats and some BIG antlers!
“Hi, it is Matt and Hawkins, and we’ve noticed that the bucks have been fighting more and moving more because it is cold and they are looking for does. The bucks are doe crazy!
“This is Tristan, and I discovered a pile of almost frozen bear poop in my yard while playing with my little cousin on Nov. 3. That was surprising!
“Hey, this is Audrey, and the squirrels in my yard have been acting bonkers. They have been stealing the fallen seeds from the bird feeder and hurrying off with them.
“Hey, this is Dallyce. In my yard the ground squirrels have been collecting a lot of crab apples and carrying them off to their dens.
“This has been a report from North Star Elementary in Virginia. Keep exploring the great outdoors!”
Cherry School in Iron Junction
“Hi, this is Symphony, Mia, Lydia, Annelise, Rayvynne, and Willie reporting from Cherry School in Iron Junction, Minnesota on Nov. 7.
“We have been noticing windy, chilly, and cloudy weather.
“On Nov. 2, Tanner noticed a black bear in his yard in Iron Township.
“On Nov. 5, Willie noticed a white tail deer in front of his family’s car near Iron.
“On Nov. 3, Symphony saw a grouse in her front yard and it was sleeping on a branch.
“Today during our walk in the school forest, we noticed a small tree with green leaves. We think it is an alder tree.
“We also saw a daddy long legs and we heard a Black-capped Chickadee. We saw white fuzzy stuff on a tree and we think it’s woolly alder aphid.
“This concludes our phenology report. This has been Symphony, Mia, Lydia, Annelise, Rayvynne, and Willie reporting from Cherry School. Nature Rules!”
East Rapids Elementary in Grand Rapids
North Shore Community School near Duluth
“Hello from North Shore Community School on the north shore of Lake Superior. This is the phenology report for the week of Nov. 2, 2024. My name is Penelope, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“On Thursday, Oct. 31, we had our first snow. November is known as the ice forming moon according to the Ojibwe. On Saturday, Nov. 2, we had 10 hours and 5 minutes of daylight. On Sunday, Nov. 3, it was daylight savings time. We now will experience later sun rises and earlier sun sets. The sun will set at 4:51 pm on Friday, Nov. 8.
“Ellie noticed a water puddle at her house on Monday, Nov. 4, and the next morning it was frozen!
“Ms. Jackson’s class updated their observations for their tagged trees on Thursday, Nov. 7. Here are week five observations: The quaking aspen still has seven brown leaves hanging on which is the same as last week. The paper birch is still hanging on to one leaf. On Thursday, Nov. 7, Ms. Urban noticed some wild strawberry leaves were bright red, while others were still fully green. The round-lobed hepatica are still green! As of Friday, Nov. 2, there is still green grass on our school playground.
“Mrs. Pierson-Evans saw a flock of Snow Buntings behind the school on Saturday, Nov. 2. Ms. Jackson noticed a V-formation of geese migrating on Thursday, Nov. 7. Also on Nov. 7, Ms. Lounsberry’s class saw three Trumpeter Swans, two Northern Harriers and a Red-tailed Hawk. Fall migration isn’t over yet, with lots of species still moving south for winter.
“During our Voyageur Rendezvous on Nov. 6, Teddy saw a mosquito on his shoulder.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week and be observant!”
Pike Lake Elementary near Duluth
“Good morning, my name is Isla and this is our report for the week of Nov. 3, 2024, from Pike Lake Elementary School.
“This week I was observing the sun setting early around 4:40 pm. I did some research and learned that the sun’s track across the sky is much shorter and lower in the winter than in the summer. The sun will move lower and lower in the south, so the sun will rise later and set earlier.
“Hello, Kenzie here. Last week in phenology class, Mr. Marohn was getting the attention of some Black-capped Chickadees using a recording on his phone. I was surprised to hear the birds respond to the call. Additionally, we spotted an 11-point buck on our trail camera!
“I’m Avery, and last week my family had a bear problem every night! One was coming in and gobbling up all of our trash, so that when I would get home, there would be garbage everywhere. Bungee cords didn’t even stop it! Bringing the garbage can up by our door seems to be working. I think the bear believes we are watching for it.
“This is Miles. Last week, I saw a buck and when I saw its antlers I wondered why they all have different sized antlers. My research told me that nutrition is a big reason why. Also, each year a buck loses its antlers and grows bigger ones. It takes a male deer about six years to reach its biggest size. I also learned that it is the fastest growing tissue of all mammals, growing up to an inch a day.
“Hi this is Brooks. On Sunday, Nov. 3, me and my dad went on a forest walk in our woods. We walked all the way to our deer stand. When we got there we had watched a fisher climb up the deer stand. We didn't want to move because we didn't want to scare it, and we also wanted to watch what the fisher would do next!
“When we saw the fisher climb down, we noticed there was something in its mouth. We used my dad’s binoculars and realized it was a squirrel. We figured that the fisher had got the squirrel when it was in the stand. We ended up wanting to see where the fisher was going to take the squirrel. So, we followed it and after a while of walking and following we found out where the fisher took the squirrel. The fisher took the squirrel to its DEN! It was the first time I had ever seen an animal den except for a bird's nest.
“This is Lily, and last Thursday I observed that when the leaves fall down they are red, yellow and orange for a little bit but then they turn brown. I did some research and learned that leaves have a lot of chlorophyll when they are green, but they slowly lose it and change to the bright colors. Then, when it has no chlorophyll, it then turns brown.
“This concludes our report from the outer reaches of the Proctor School District. Be Aware. Things are happening out there.”
Little Falls Middle School
“This is Sadie and Sydney reporting from Mr. Kaddatz’s class in Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of Nov. 10.
“Nov. 1 was the first time someone noticed ice forming in their cat’s water bowl.
“Pileated Woodpeckers are here year-round, but for some reason we have noticed them more frequently this week.
“Swans are still hanging out in fields and on the river.
“There was a HUGE flock of Red-winged Blackbirds in a cattail slough.
“Buckthorn seems to be growing everywhere, and is easy to spot as the leaves are still green.
“Robins still around, but in much smaller groups than we were seeing a week or two ago.
“The distinct and unusual call of a raven was heard.
“Abandoned bald-faced hornet hives are easily spotted in the trees now that the leaves have fallen.
“Cranes are still hanging out in Little Falls, mainly in small groups or pairs.
“Linden looper and fall cankerworm moths are still flying around during the daylight hours. These are males as the females are wingless.
“Barred Owls have been heard calling in the early evening.
“There has been an uptick in the amount of mice we are trapping in our homes.
“Mr. Kaddatz has twice heard loud squeals in the woods by his house, and assumes rabbits are being caught by the Great Horned Owls that live there.
“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 in Bloomington
“Hi, this is Miles, Jonas, and Charlotte reporting from Oak Grove Elementary in Bloomington, Minnesota.
“This week’s weather has been wet, cold and gloomy. The temperature has been dropping, sometimes it even feels like it’s warmer in the morning than in the afternoon. It’s been mostly cloudy and rainy, with a little bit of snow this week.
“With our animal observations, we found deer or rabbit scat and a lot of Asian beetles. We heard crows and another kind of bird. We even saw a red fox crossing our school grounds.
“With our plant observations, we noticed one tamarack has been losing needles quicker than the other one.
“The maple tree has lost at least 95% of its leaves, but our oak tree has lost only 3% of is leaves, but some of the inside leaves are changing color. We are wondering if we’ll see more signs of deer in our forest and if we will see our rain turn to snow soon.
“That’s all for today, stay tuned for the next OGE Phenology Club nature episode! Toodles ‘til next time!”
Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield, Minnesota
Leo: "Hi, I’m Leo...”
Sahil: "...and I’m Sahil...”
Leo: "...and we’re from Prairie Creek Community School, way down south in Northfield, Minnesota.”
Sahil: "Fall is holding on down here.”
Leo: "We still have gnats and bees outside!”
Sahil: "The maple tree by my bus stop is still bright red and holding on to its leaves.”
Leo: "And there are still wasps fighting at Finnly’s window.”
Sahil: "There are a lot of insects inside, too. Maysoon is still seeing the blue bottle flies...”
Leo: "...And we have conifer seed bugs in our classroom for the first time we can remember.”
Sahil: "Silas saw a worm outside!”
Leo: "And Ellen’s badger is still really active - perhaps, TOO active since there was a dead bunny by its den this week.”
Sahil: "We are seeing a lot of birds.”
Leo: "Many people reported geese and seagulls.”
Sahil: "Michelle saw a Pileated Woodpecker.”
Leo: "Ruby saw starlings and robins.”
Sahil: "We saw an Osprey and an eagle on our field trip to Saint Paul on Thursday.”
Leo: "And Wyatt saw a Blue Jay.”
Sahil: "We had a rabbit sighting...”
Leo: "...and a fox sighting. But don’t worry, they weren’t in the same place.”
Sahil: "And finally, we had a lot of deer sightings - including a dead deer that Maysoon’s dogs nibbled at.”
Leo: "And on that note - this has been Prairie Creek...”
Sahil: "...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, <b>subscribe</b> 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).
