Students spot migratory birds, dragonflies and butterflies

Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade

This report is brought to you by Kathy, Suresh and the explorers attending the Minnesota Astronomical Society's annual Northern Nights Star Fest.

Little Falls Middle School

“This is Matthew and Paige reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of September 13.
“We had an observation of a large group of white-faced meadowhawks that were chasing and mating in a classmate's yard.
“Two students were able to spot a porcupine as it climbed a tree.
“Our fields and gravel roads are full of Carolina grasshoppers as these large insects with black and yellow wings fly around.
“We had a rare sighting of a leucistic Wild Turkey that was out in a field with a large group of other turkeys.
“Another rare sighting for us was a black swallowtail butterfly.
“A student found a huge cecropia moth caterpillar. The most interesting part, was that it had dozens of small white eggs on its back, probably from some sort of wasp.
“There are more reports of crickets chirping in garages and basements this week, and also an increase in the number of mice we are trapping in our homes.
“We have had several reports of skunk damage in yards, as they are coming out at night and digging for grubs.
“Wild cucumber vines seem to be draped over most fences and shrubs that we see this time of year as we travel down roads.
“An unusual looking discovery this week was the nymph of the Asian beetle.
“We have been able to get some up close looks at green darner dragonflies, as we have located them in the mornings while their wings are damp and they cannot fly away from us.
“A few students found american dagger moth caterpillars. They are spiky and yellow, and apparently they can irritate your skin if you touch them.
“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

Hank: "Hi, this is Hank-”

Wagner: "And this is Wagner-”

Hank: "And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School-”

Wagner: "Way down south in Northfield Minnesota.”

Hank: "We have noticed a ton of monarchs this year. Sam saw about twenty on one branch.”

Wagner: "We counted the butterflies on the cosmos near the hoop house and there were over seventy.”

Hank: "Many of us have also been seeing dragonflies - mostly the large green darners. Sometimes they are in big groups, too.”

Wagner: "Natalie found a dead ovipositor. Its … um … positors… were over 12 centimeters long - that’s over three times the length of its body. “

Hank: "Many of us have also noticed hummingbirds. Most of them are female but Penelope saw several young males.”

Wagner: "We have seen eagles, Mourning Doves, flocks of robins and owls.”

Hank: "I saw six deer at the edge of a field and noticed that the mice are coming inside.”

Wagner: "Thor noticed that there were gold finches on the big thistle plants in his yard.”

Hank: "Everyone is getting ready for fall.”

Wagner: "This has been Prairie Creek-”

Hank: "One more step along the phenology journey.”

Caledonia High School in Houston County

“Hi, this is Deanah, Lizzy, Christiana and Mitchell reporting from Caledonia High School located in Caledonia, Houston County. On September 11, we noticed at the end of last week, the temperature reached the 90s.
“We noticed that pears are ready to be picked. Sweet corn, peppers, and tomatoes are ready to be picked. Red maples in town are turning color. Pine trees are turning brown. Asters are blooming, and the walnuts are falling from the trees.
“For the animals, blackbirds are beginning to clump together. Bees are very active. Lots of monarch butterflies are in the trees. Bucks lost their velvet. The weekly highlight is the temperature dropped down from last week and the [soy]beans have started changing color.
“This has been Deanah, Lizzy, Christiana and Mitchell reporting from Caledonia High School. ‘Stay wild, stay curious!’”

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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