Teenagers spot tanagers!

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 May 2, 2026. My name is Lawrence, and I am your phenologist for this week!
"This week we had three days where we observed snow flurries! This occurred on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The temperature was feeling more like November than May!
"On Monday, May 4, Owen noticed the daffodils at his house were in bloom. Mrs. Rolfe’s dappled willow leafed out on Tuesday, May 5, and on Wednesday, May 6, she saw her first marsh marigold blossom during her morning walk.
"On May 3, Miss Robin heard Merlins and realized there is a nesting pair of them in a pine tree near her house in West Duluth.
"On May 2, Adelyn saw two bears in her yard and, the night before, got into her garbage. On May 3, Violet saw a fox on her way home from the Cities. Also on May 3, three bears were seen by several students at two different students’ homes.
"Julia noticed that the wood ticks and deer ticks are out as she had one on her shirt after being outside. On Wednesday, May 5, Ms. Urban noticed a spring azure butterfly, and Ms. Helgesen’s class found an Arctic butterbur growing in the school forest. On Wednesday, May 5, the preschoolers found the caterpillar of a Virginia Tenucha Moth.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week and be observant!”

Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade

This report is brought to you by Parker and Finn and the students from Good Shepherd School in Golden Valley, Maddy and Braelyn and the students Mary of Lourdes in Little Falls and students from Saints Peter and Paul in Richmond.

“During our trip from May 4-6,the low temp was 28 degrees and the high was 50. On Tuesday, there were snow flurries.
“The bog is springing to life with leatherleaf in full bloom. Our group also found a single, tasty cranberry. We also saw a bunny hopping on the trail, a turkey, and a big yellow spider, possibly a black and yellow garden spider.
“On the lake, the Trumpeter Swan and Common Loon pairs are traveling together, which means they are not on the nest yet. We expect that to happen soon.
“The group from Saints Peter and Paul School left on Tuesday, but here is their report. They saw an American Robin’s nest with eggs in it, a tree completely destroyed by a Pileated Woodpecker, a muskrat, and an owl hooting. They reported that marsh marigolds are in bloom near the edge of the bog and fern fiddleheads are up and about 4 inches above the forest floor.
“We had a great time exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”

Baxter Elementary

“Hello from Baxter Elementary School in Baxter, MN.
This is the phenology report for the week of May 8, 2026.
“Our names are Landon, Nora, & Tyler and we are your phenologists for this week.
“Our weather last week was a little cooler than normal. We had some nights that were below freezing and our high temperature was 68 degrees on May 3.
“Even though our weather has been cooler, our small-toothed aspens leafed out on May 1, which is exactly on time according to our records. Oaks broke bud on May 6, which is also our average. Our maple tree has started making seeds. There is a lot more green in our forest. We have blooming violets and lots of dandelions. Our nanking cherry continues to flower beautifully. Daffodils have bloomed.
“We saw a half wing moth and several winter firefly beetles on our trail. We captured a young garter snake too. Stag beetles have been discovered. Ants are everywhere, and we’ve been spotting bees and wasps.
“Scarlet Tanagers, Eastern Bluebirds, Pine Siskins, and lots of Turkey Vultures have been spotted.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!”

Little Falls Middle School

“This is Brianna and Abrianna reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of May 10.
“We saw our first Baltimore Oriole on May 1, and have seen a few more since then, but not large numbers.
“We have had observations of red fox and porcupines this week.
“Some classmates spotted and filmed a large muskie as they were out searching for carp at night.
“We have seen a Brown Thrasher rooting around in the grass and loose seeds under a feeder.
“Our first Rose-breasted Grosbeak appeared on May 2.
“We have entered the time of year where we get a large mess of bugs splattered on our car windshields after being out for a drive.
“We have seen a couple of black bears, but the most exciting was a sow with two cubs that escaped by climbing a tree.
“We heard the beautiful call of the Northern Mockingbird this week.
“We have really seen a lot of different sparrows this week. The Chipping and White-throated Sparrows are still around, and we have seen White-crowned, Harris, Clay-colored, and Lincoln’s Sparrows.
“There were multiple reports of paper wasps from different areas on the same date (May 3).
“The bloodroot, hepatica, marsh marigolds, wild ginger, and trout lilies are all in bloom right now.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”

Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield

Letty: “Hi, I’m Letty-”
Sahil: “And I’m Sahil-”
Letty: “And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School, way down south in Northfield Minnesota.”
Sahil: “I have one word for our audience: GREEN.”
Letty: “Everything is leafing out, even the ginkgo trees and the locust trees.”
Sahil: “A lot of things are in bloom, too. Our crab apple tree, Crabby, has ERUPTED!”
Letty: “There was a Sandhill Crane walking on the road near our school. We’ve seen a lot of herons, eagles, and vultures.”
Sahil: “Ellen saw a White-crowned Sparrow, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Yellow Warbler, a Forester Tern,and a lot of Barn Swallows. Oscar saw a Lesser Yellowlegs.”
Letty: “The spring wildflowers are beautiful. There are a ton of violets.”
Sahil: “Yum! We also have spruce tips on all of our spruce trees.”
Letty: “It’s still really cold in the morning. We hope the fruit trees are okay.”
Sahil: “Michelle saw a baby rabbit - luckily, her dog did not see it.”
Letty: “There has been a lot of roadkill, including deer, fox and a beaver.”
Sahil: “Oscar saw one Dark-eyed Junko.”
Letty: “The hummingbirds are back - we saw one on May 10.”
Sahil: “Hooray! This has been Prairie Creek-”
Letty: “One more step along the phenology journey.”

Caledonia High School in Houston County

“Hi, this is Emersyn, Vanessa, Will, and Bennett reporting from Caledonia Public High School in Caledonia, MN. On May 5, we noticed:
“Over the weekend we had possibly our last frost on May 1. Also, a severe storm came through 2 weeks ago that brought hail and snow. With warmer temperatures, we’ve noticed higher humidity.
“Plants in town that are blooming include lilacs, crocus, and crabapples. In the prairie there are hoary puccoon and prairie smoke. In the forest there are bluebells, mayflowers, wild plum, and cherries.
“Shorebirds are migrating through our area, including the rare Black-necked Stilt. Swans have laid eggs. Bluebirds and robins already have babies. Green frog tadpoles are growing legs. Rabbits are nesting, bats are active, and so are ticks.
“The apple trees on top of the bluff are blossoming. Meanwhile, the ones in the valley are not.
“This has been Emersyn, Vanessa, Will, and Bennett reporting from Caledonia Public High School. ‘Never stop questioning!’”

What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.

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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).