Phenology
2023

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY

Soggy and Brown phenology report for this week from Long Lake Conservation Center. High temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 29. Rainfall total's for the last week was 2.7 inches. For the month, we've had 4.21 inches of precipitation. We continue to see our usual winter friends; squirrels, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and turkeys. We have seen (and heard!) flocks of 80+ Bohemian Waxwings. Bohemian Waxwings are about 8" long, slightly larger than Cedar Waxwings. They make quick work of any berries that remain on Crabapples, Buckthorns and Mountain-ashes. The flocks call loudly their "zree" call as they feed making them noticeable and easy to identify. They will be around for a couple more months before heading north. Enjoy them while you can. Unplug, Get Outside, Live Connected! The photo is from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This report is brought to you by Brian and the students from Migizi. Dill Prickles made a triumphant return to campus.

This poetic report is from Louie, Nora and the students from Oneka Elementary School in White Bear Lake.

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through Long Lake

Lots of creatures were stirring, a nature journey ‘fore winter break;

nests still hung in the trees from last summer,

We studied one that had fallen; no wasps, not a bummer;

Oneka children were nestled all snug in their beds;

We arose and found the tracks of a fox that was red;

All dressed in warm clothing, including a cap,

We followed some tracks and found some fresh scat,

On our walk to the bog there arose such a clatter,

We searched and we spied for the cause of the matter.

Away in the distance we saw a white flash,

A short-tailed weasel raced in search of a snack.

The moon shone its light on what’s left of the snow,

Will there be more? Soon, we’re sure, but who knows.

When what to our wondering eyes did appear,

But bigfoot; all giant and grizzly, causing ripples of fear,

The sighting was questioned and we have our doubt,

But nature’s a wonder, one never knows what’s about.

We searched the site and found a wrapper of candy,

It was probably not sasquatch, but the maintenance guy Andy,

The cheeseburger song filled the air and the land,

A chickadee was spotted eating seeds from a hand.

Woodpeckers, red breasted, were seen flying about,

Eating insects and the suet that we had left out;

Nature’s abundance is always a thrill;

Just sitting and watching a squirrel eat its fill.

As we head to the bus to return to our home,

We encourage you all to explore and to roam.

Turn off the phones and do something unexpected,

Life is good, unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This week's report is brought to you by the Long Lake team.

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY

Shrike attack! Shrike attack! Other than the continued unusual weather, the highlight for the week of December 11-15, was a Shrike attacking, killing and eating a Chickadee near the feeders. The scene was witnessed by Naturalist Katie Murphy. Shrikes are very unusual songbirds in that they sometimes hunt and kill more insects and vertebrates than they need, impaling them on thorns, branches, barbed wire or other spikes. They leave the “leftovers” on the spikes for a future meal. For this reason, they earned the nickname “Butcher Bird.” Shrikes are robin-sized gray, white or black and white birds. Don’t let their predatory nature fool you, they are beautiful. The high temperature was a balmy 46 degrees Fahrenheit, the low was 19 degrees. Rain erased most of what little snow has fallen to date. Deer and turkeys have been active on campus. This winter has one notable absence. We have not seen hide nor quill of resident porcupine Dill Prickles. In fact, during our searches around the woods of Long Lake, we have found few signs of porcupine activity. This is quite different from previous winters when Dill was ever present and other porcupines were easily found. We are holding out hope that Dill will return to campus. It’s a great time to be alive and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Margaret, Sam and the other adult students who completed Master Naturalist training at Long Lake, December 4-8. Welcome to the nature family!

This report is from Ren, Long Lake's newest Naturalist. Welcome to the team, Ren!

Hello, this is Ren, new Naturalist at Long Lake Conservation Center with our report for November 26th through December 1st. The high temperature was 44 degrees fahrenheit, the low was one below zero… the season’s first sub-zero temp of the year. Ice in was declared on Long Lake on November 19th, and by November 26th, ice thickness was just under 6 inches at 15 feet from shore. Ice is forming quickly. Coincidentally, ice in was declared exactly one month from the peak of fall colors. November 19 also marks the last sighting of chipmunks. It’s tracks-in-the-snow season and we have spotted fox, coyote, eagle and deer tracks on the lake. During a walk around the lake, we flushed eight ruffed grouse, and spotted a gaggle of 14 turkeys. We are approaching the days with the least amount of sunlight. That means longer nights for stargazing. This week Saturn appears low in the south sky at nightfall, and is easily spotted with just binoculars. With any telescope, you can get a good look at Saturn’s rings. December 1st is the beginning of meteorological winter, marking the start of the coldest 90-day stretch of the year. Bundle up, but don’t let a little cold stop it. It’s a great time to explore and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY - THANKSGIVING EDITION

This week's nature sightings include the first skim ice of the season, covering about 75% of Long Lake. The gray squirrels have been especially active. There has been a notably large amount of Piliated Woodpeckers and Blue Jays and the chipmunks are STILL out and active. This might be the last week we see them until spring. The Common Mergansers have finally abandoned the lake and headed south. In other words, nature is screaming, "COLD AND SNOW ARE COMING!" We are thankful everyday for the gift of nature, and all the animals that brighten our days - especially the two-legged critters that make life so much fun.

This report is brought to you by Alex, Zach, Monica and the students from St. Joseph's School Rosemount

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 15th through the 17th the weather was typical of mid-September. The high temperature was an unseasonably warm 60 degrees fahrenheit, the low was 20. Not only was it warm, but the skies were clear allowing for some amazing stargazing. Our group saw Jupiter and its moons in the east, the first sighting of the winter constellation Orion on the horizon at 9:30 p.m. on the 15th and we saw a loooooooong shooting star. We learned that they are small meteorites entering the earth’s atmosphere. It was really interesting to think that the light we are looking at in the night sky is like looking into the past, and in some cases the VERY distant past. Terrestrial sightings included lots of Blue Jays and gray squirrels at the feeder, but the juncos that have been hanging around have moved on. We also saw Hairy and Red-bellied woodpeckers, and a bald eagle. The Beavers remain very active, chewing through many trees, and Chipmunks are still out and busy, stuffing their little cheeks with food to take back to their dens. A small group of Mergansers and Buffleheads are still hanging around Long Lake. Naturalist Katie saw Dill Prickles near the compost pile. We had great weather for nature exploring, and want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Fiona, Austin, Rilynn and the students from Rum River Elementary School in Andover. Great job exploring!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 8th through the 10th the high temperature was 48 degrees fahrenheit, the low was 32 and we had on and off snow flurries. In 2022, the Rum River students were cross-country skiing here at LLCC on Nov 16th. Beth hit a grouse on her way to LLCC one morning and once we removed it from her headlight we took a look at it, the tail feathers showed it was a female and when we looked at its feet we saw the winter snowshoe fringes that help grouse walk in deep snow, the fringes are called pectinations. We noticed many small white moths during our outdoor adventures. Two porcupines were seen: Dill Prickles was on campus and one was out in the woods, both were on the ground. The beavers are still very busy and so are the squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays, and juncos. Canada geese and common mergansers were on the lake. We had a great time and we want to remind everyone to thank John Latimer for 40 years of phenology and also, to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Lydia, Kenzie and the students from Underwood Elementary School. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 6th through the 8th the high temperature was 49 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 34. During our deer hunting season visit we did see some deer. We saw a few does around campus and found a very large track in the mud that we are thinking is a big buck. There is no hunting on Long Lake property but we wore our blaze orange anyway just to be safe! We all got more than one chance to watch the beavers at work, eating and swimming branches over to their lodge. They are working on some trees on one side of Long Lake and the lodge is on the other side of the lake so they have to swim right by the campus. Three otters were seen swimming in Long Lake. We are still seeing chipmunks, juncos, squirrels and Canada geese. We also noticed many blue jays and woodpeckers. We found some cool jelly mushrooms. The leaves are not colorful anymore, but we did notice how colorful the sphagnum moss is in the bog. We had a great time and we want to remind everyone to Wear Blaze, Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!! Thanks for 40 years, Mr. Latimer.

This report is brought to you by Kate and the students from Pequot Lakes Middle School. The Great Kate, did an awesome job. Keep exploring.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 1st and 2nd the high temperature was 38 degrees fahrenheit and the low was a chilly 19, but the sun was out and made exploring comfortable. Ice has started to form on parts of the lake. Almost all of the leaves have now fallen. In Long Lake, we spotted four beavers swimming in the lake at night, otters and a few common mergansers. The mergansers are either adult females or juveniles. We suspect that they are juveniles waiting until the last minute to begin their migration south. In the woods there was an unconfirmed sighting of a skunk, and the chipmunks are still out and very active. Our group found some milkweed with closed pods. We thought this was weird because most of the milkweed went to seed a few weeks ago. In the bog, the leatherleaf has turned red and the tamaracks have dropped most of their needles. One of the highlights was watching a spider crawl from under the snow into a pitcher plant. The water in the plant was frozen, so it might have escaped with its life. At the feeders, we observed the normal mix of winter birds, including chickadees, nuthatches, Blue Jays and woodpeckers. There are still a few juncos hanging around. There was enough snow on the ground that we were able to see some tracks. We spotted lots of deer and what naturalist Julia thinks were coyote tracks. It’s a great time to explore nature, and we wanted to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Isabella, George, Allan, Isaac and the students from Lincoln Elementary School in Hibbing. They experienced the first snowflakes of the season! Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on October 25th through the 27th. The high temperature was 50 degrees fahrenheit and the low was 32 degrees fahrenheit. The weather was overcast, misty and blustery. We had our first snowflakes of the season. The “falling leaves” full moon is behind those clouds, we will have to look for it this weekend. When we jumped up and down in the bog LOTS of golden needles fell from the Tamarack trees. We also noticed many mushrooms growing in the bog. Lots of slugs were discovered in the wet leaves on the forest floor. Slugs are important for chewing up dead leaves and recycling the nutrients. A small group of mergansers were on the lake everyday. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were seen at the feeders along with nuthatches and chickadees. A few blue jays are still around. The beavers were spotted while we were out canoeing. Most of the leaves have fallen but the oaks are hanging on. Chipmunks and squirrels are very active. Happy November Everyone! Remember to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by the homeschool students who visited Long Long October 23-25. They were a bit silly and a whole lot of awesome! Great job, young explorers!

This week's report is brought to you by Mason from McGregor Elementary, Hunter from Hill City Elementary and Leah from Rippleside Elementary in Aitkin. Great job! It's always a blast to get to share nature with local students!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center Oct 16th through the 18th we had a high of 62 degrees and low of 30 degrees with lots of sunshine for most of our trip. Once the sunshine hit the garter snake hibernacula area we saw several snakes gathering. By the lake we noticed a small snapping turtle and two leopard frogs. On our hike to the bog we noticed bright gold birch leaves and in the bog the tamaracks were beginning to turn gold, when we shook the tamaracks just a few needles fell off. We also scared up 2 grouse in the bog. Pileated woodpeckers, Juncos and Blue Jays were seen, also one Canada Goose honking loudly and flying north. Otters were swimming in the lake in the morning, chipmunks were very busy gathering acorns and the beavers were too busy working to mind us observing them. All their work has made a wide worn down path from the woods to the lake. We are happy to report that Dill Prickles the porcupine made an appearance. Dill didn’t seem to mind that naturalist Marla almost tripped over him on the path, he just went about his way and climbed up an oak tree while we all watched. We had sooo much fun exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brough to you by Anna and the students from Waconia Middle School Gold Group. Nice job, Anna!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on October 11th through the 13th, we experienced a mix of typical and unusual autumn nature sightings. The weather is getting colder, so our group was surprised to see a pair of blue spotted salamanders, a redbelly snake, a slug, a handful of leopard frogs and a gray tree frog that was burnt orange. It was notable that our group didn’t didn’t see any garter snakes. Earlier in the week, they were still active around their hibernacula. Our group also saw beaver and many signs of beaver activity, a pileated woodpecker that K’leigh said was “slay”, a flicker, a few juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, and a downy woodpecker. We spotted lots of earthworm castings and watched a gray squirrel and a blue jay fight over a piece of food. The squirrel won the battle, but I’m happy to report that neither were harmed. Autumn is a beautiful time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Nolan and the students from Waconia Middle School's Purple Group. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on October 9th through the 11th, we experienced the first hard frost of the season. Temperatures dipped to 29 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Despite the cold, we spotted some flowers, including a goldenrod and a few dandelions. Those are likely the last flowers until spring. Our group noticed the bright red berries of the Winterberry shrub. The berries will remain all winter. We also saw a large party of Blue Jays, a flock of juncos, chipmunks, gray squirrels, pileated and downy woodpeckers. On Monday, we saw turkey vultures and four bald eagles eating roadkill. We suspect that the eagles were among those migrating south and looking for a quick meal. We are still seeing a few large leopard frogs out and about. They are moving slowly. The garter snakes are mostly in their hibernacula now, but a few venture outside to soak up the midday sun. In and around Long Lake, our group spotted a painted turtle, coots and a tadpole. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the beavers. They are very active right now. We spotted them on the lake and even on a path in the woods. One of them appeared to be a baby or juvenile. Autumn is a beautiful time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Amelia and the students from Braham Elementary! Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on October 5th and 6th, autumn weather arrived. Temperatures dipped into the 40s at night and the wind was howling, dropping lots of leaves. Our group saw a flock of flickers, a party of blue jays, and a Robin. We wonder if that will be the last Robin we will see until spring. Our group also found a baby Snapping Turtle on the shore, four large and VERY sloooooooow frogs in the woods, tadpoles and minnows in the lake, a Garter snake, and four or five beavers. The beavers continue to be very busy, chewing down trees on both sides of Long Lake, and dragging branches near their lodge. Long Lake’s staff told us that the beavers abandoned that lodge last year and constructed a new one further down the lake. We wonder why they returned to the old lodge this year. We were lucky to have clear skies and night and saw lots of stars, including the big dipper. Autumn is a beautiful time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Claudia, Grant and the students from St. Odilia School in Shoreview.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center, October 2nd through the 4th our group noticed a variety of interesting mushrooms including a Jack-o’-Lantern that glowed in the dark, and a puffball about the size of a watermelon. Puffballs are actually edible before they become brown. There are acorns everywhere, mostly on the ground. The deer, bear, squirrels and chipmunks have plenty to eat. The beavers have been very active and a beaver chewed tree fell while we were canoeing. The wind helped. On the lake, we spotted a Trumpeter Swan, and a Solitary Sandpiper. We also spotted Blue Jays, Chickadees, Nuthatches and a Pileated Woodpecker. Our group enjoyed exploring the bog, and lots of us liked getting a drink by squeezing the water from the sphagnum moss. It was a great week exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Isaiah and the students from Ramsey Elementary.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center, September 27th through the 29th the weather was summer-like but nature is screaming that winter is coming. Our group noticed that many garter snakes are working their way back to their hibernacula for the winter. We even saw a few slither through the opening and head inside. We saw a new path in the forest that led to the lake, followed it and saw signs of fresh beaver activity, including three newly fallen trees. A group went out at night and saw the beavers on the lake. Like the snakes, they are busy preparing for the cold that is on the way. One of the highlights of the week was discovering very interesting purple lichen and a blewit mushroom that were bright blue. We uncovered them when rooting through rotted fallen trees in a thicket. The recent rains have resulted in lots of new mushrooms. We found a giant puffball and Rusella mushroom. Our group saw a few large Leopard Frogs. It was notable that we didn’t find many smaller ones. They must have already moved into their winter habitats. Our group also saw deer tracks, lots of Canada Geese migrating, a group of young turkeys near the archer field, squirrels, a deer, bald eagle, and lily pads on the lake. We were surprised how colorful the lily pads are. In the bog, we noticed that the tamaracks are about 10 percent golden. It was a great week exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Jacob, Lily and the students from Christ the King School in Browerville.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center, September 25th through the 27th we dodged the rain, had lots of adventures and saw interesting things. One of the coolest was a large Eastern Jack-o’-Lantern Mushroom. It was about the size of a golf ball when we went to bed, but when we woke up it was a large clump about the size of a basketball. We learned that one of the interesting facts about these mushrooms is that they are bioluminescent. That’s a fancy way of saying they glow in the dark. They had a faint, green glow that we believe is an adaptation that attracts insects at nighttime, spreading its spores. Even though Jack-o’-Lantern mushrooms are fleshy and look like chanterelles, they are poisonous and should not be eaten.

Our group also saw red belly snakes, a beaver, mole, chipmunk, deer tracks, lots of Canada Geese migrating, ducks flying off the lake, and a giant water bug. It was appropriately named, because it was HUGE. We enjoyed the beautiful fall colors and there were NO MOSQUITOES! It was a great week exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and

LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Drew, Mason, Aubrey and the students from DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science in Ham Lake.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center, September 20th through the 22nd we had perfect late summer weather, but signs of autumn are everywhere. The leaves are changing color. The red maples are especially pretty. Lots and lots of acorns are falling from the oaks and a few even hit us. One of the highlights was close encounters with beavers. The Long Lake staff told us the beavers have become particularly active in the last week or so. Our group saw four beavers, including one that was dragging a large branch right through campus. He looked at us, and one teacher said it looked like he had a “guilty look” on his face. Mrs. Palzer said that on her morning canoe adventure, a beaver swam near and slapped its tail at her, trying to scare her away. Our group also saw baby snapping turtles - newly hatched and working their way to the lake. We also saw a baby red bellied snake, lots of leopard frogs, including two swimming in the lake, garter snakes, two chipmunks, a big red mushroom, a long-legged spider and a few bees, wasps and hornets. One of our group got a mosquito bite that he said swelled up to the size of a mountain on his arm. We are happy to report that there were very few mosquitos and no ticks. Yaaaaah! Our group also got to taste the first bog cranberries of the season. They are just starting to grow and are still very tart. It was a great week exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to Unplug, Get outside, and

LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by a group of young homeschooled children from the McGregor area. The group explored the woods and learned about trees - types, function, etc. AND did the BRANCH DANCE! It's a dance craze sure to sweep the nation.

This week's report is brought to you by Anna, Long Lake's newest Naturalist. It was a great week for fall flowers! Welcome to the team Anna!

The Long Lake otter family was spotted frolicking in the lake, and three fawns were observed crossing the path on campus. They all were very close to the same size and have lost their spots. We also had fun POOFING the puffballs. So fun. Signs of autumn are everywhere, most obviously the brilliant red leaves of the Red Maple trees, but summer is not giving up quite yet. There are many beautiful fall flowers, attracting a variety of bumble bees. Flowers we noticed included Boneset, Great Blue Lobelia, Cardinal Flower, Great St. John’s Wort, Cross Gentian, Cutleaf Coneflower, White Arrow Leaf Aster, Calico Aster, Purple Prairie-Clover and Bigleaf Aster. There are plenty of Goldenrods in bloom, as well. People tend to focus on the spring flowers, and they are certainly very beautiful, but fall flowers are gorgeous too. It was a great week exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to take the time to smell the flowers while they last and to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Marla, Julia and Katy, Naturalists from Long Lake.

Hello this is Marla, Julia, and Katie, three of your naturalists from Long Lake with our phenology report for the week of August 28th-31st. This week the first real signs of fall are being noted, including the wild sarsaparilla changing to yellow and red and the first of the tamaracks going gold. The first leaf drop is starting to happen as well with some species of trees. Some of us went out last night and observed the Super Blue Moon, an amazing sight through a pair of binoculars. About half way across Long Lake there is a shallow boggy area that two swans were seen standing on several mornings this week. Groups of turkeys are enjoying the plentiful acorns on the ground and we saw the season’s first oak galls. We saw a Tussock moth and the tree frogs and leopard frogs are still everywhere. The cosmos are blooming and some Lobster mushrooms were spotted on the trail. We also noticed that the Wild Sarsaparilla is starting to die back for the season. It was a beautiful week in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Jess, Dick and the members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society who visited Long Lake as part of their annual Northern Night Star Fest.

This week's report is for the week of August 12-18 and brought to you by Lexi, Ruby and the members from Class Act, a cohort of future educators from Minnesota North Itasca Campus. We can't confirm that the porcupine we spotted was Dill, but it was certainly not skittish around people and patiently posed for pictures... If it wasn't Dill, it was a relative.

In bloom we saw self heal, aster, tawny cotton grass and the first of the cranberries are ripening in the bog. We also got to see a 4 spot orb weaver during our adventure to the bog. There are large patches of goldenrod in bloom, upon closer inspection we found many goldenrod ball galls. We learned that the ball galls are from the larva of the goldenrod gall fly. These galls are a food source for birds like downy woodpeckers and chickadees in the winter. They will peck a hole in the gall to reach the tasty larva. Yum! After needing to delay our sunset canoe adventure because of rain we were rewarded with a rainbow and a clearing of the skies. The Northern Nights starfest astronomers were happy to show us the night skies. A porcupine was seen on campus for the first time since June 20th. It was seen in a tree and on the ground eating a milkweed plant. It was a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Greta, Reagan and the attendees of Astronomy and Fishing camps at Long Lake.

We were lucky enough to get some pretty clear skies during our week of camp and to have the help of the Minnesota Astronomical Society. We would go out around 9:15 to watch the stars come out and see bright satellites. As it got darker we used the 8” telescope to find bright stars and some familiar constellations. Once it got really dark we saw the Milky Way and also observed: Messier 13, a large bright globular cluster, Messier 27, the Dumbbell nebula, Messier 11, the Wild Duck cluster, the double star Mizar/Alcor and the ET, or Owl cluster. The highlight was Saturn. It rose above the trees after about 10:30, some of us even saw some of Saturn's moons. On our nighttime walk to the bog we noticed several clumps of chicken of the woods and grazed on some ripe gooseberries. Once in the bog we found sundew plants and flowering pitcher plants.

Hello, I am Reagan with the Fishing Camp Report from Long Lake Conservation Center August 7th through the 11th.

The frogs and toads were everywhere we would walk; we saw northern leopard frogs, American toads including a small red one and a large wood frog. Along with the jumping of the toads and frogs, the grasshoppers were plentiful. We also saw both garter snakes and red-bellied snakes. At the feeders we watched red squirrels, goldfinches and red-breasted grosbeaks. We learned how to spot the difference between male and female pileated woodpeckers, all the ones we saw had red mustaches. We saw the first of the milkweed pods and one dark monarch butterfly chrysalis on the underside of a goldenrod leaf. For the fishing report; we caught; sunfish, bluegills, largemouth and smallmouth bass, perch and walleye!

It was a great week in nature and we want everyone to remember to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This week's report is brought to you by John, Ashley and the people from Aitkin County Health and Human Services.

Our day retreat to Long Lake Conservation Center was a hot one with lots to see in nature. One flora and fauna highlight is the flowering of Goldenrods. The many, small yellow flowers on this plant are delicate and beautiful. Besides being a great source of nectar for bees, reported medicinal uses include treatment of gout, hemorrhoids, diabetes and arthritis among other things. Native Americans used it to treat sore throats and toothaches. Beebalm, also known as bergamot, is also flowering, and as the name suggests is also a favorite of bees and other pollinators. The Canada Thistle that we didn’t manage to remove is dispersing seeds which, like dandelions, are being carried on the wind. We noticed that gray squirrels and chipmunks have been more active of late and that the branches of Oak trees are sagging due to the weight of the large quantity of acorns. The old wive’s tale is that lots of acorns means a long, hard winter. Thankfully, scientific studies finds no correlation between weather and the amount of acorns.. Wild raspberries are still going strong. In the animal world, we spotted what was likely a brown bat. Due to white-nose syndrome, these sightings are far too rare. Leopard frogs are still out in LARGE numbers, and we’ve spotted a few baby toads. Naturalist Marla found a Greater Bee Fly. These parasitic flies mimic bumble bees, but unlike bumble bees, they do not sting. They do gather nectar and are known to infiltrate bee and wasp nests, depositing their eggs. After hatching, the larvae eat the bee or wasp grubs. It appears that our woodchuck population is on the rise. In addition to the adults that we regularly see, we have spotted as many as two juveniles that are burrowing under buildings, possibly creating homes. Their burrowing can cause trouble and they may need to be relocated. It was a great week in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Bode, Scott, Carson and the campers from Forkhorn I camp.

Our week at camp featured a full-on invasion of Leopard frogs. We spotted little ones, big ones, tall ones, short ones. One person in our group counted more than a hundred on one hike. We think the little rain we had got them out and about. High temperatures topped out at a summer high 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Swimming was a great way to cool off. Our group liked collecting leeches. We found lots.

Other nature sightings included a black bear spotted by a Long Lake teacher, a Barred owl was heard calling at night. We saw June bugs flying … ewwww, a red squirrel in a window feeder eating lots of seeds, garter and red belly snakes, Pileated Woodpeckers, blue sarsaparilla berries (not all blueberries are blueberries), and Ghost Pipe. We thought Ghost Pipe was really interesting. These transparent white plants don’t have chlorophyll and get nutrients by stealing from nearby tree roots. Mark Jacobs stopped by as part of Backyard Bumble Bee watch and found Brown Belted, Two-Spotted, Diervilla Clearwig, Northern Amber, Yellow Branded and Yellow Cukoo bumble bees. It was a great week in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Dakota, Brian and the students from Migizi in South Minneapolis who visited Long Lake Conservation Center July 18th through the 20th.

Swimming in the lake was our favorite activity and we did that every chance we got even between the summer rain storms! Our trip into the bog was a highlight. Some of us really got into it! About 3 feet down into the moss. The blueberries near the bog are just starting to ripen, the bog rosemary is in bloom and the tawny cotton grass flowers are blooming all across the bog as far as the eye can see. We had some interesting sightings, including hearing an owl hooting at dusk, a young spike buck, the turkey poults are growing fast, loons were heard calling at night and during the day 4 loons were seen having what looked like a pretty good time swimming/bathing in the lake together. A common merganser with six chicks was spotted near the beach. We hadn’t seen any mergansers since early spring, so this sighting was a bit of a surprise. What wasn’t a surprise was how delicious the wild raspberries tasted. It was a great week in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Kaylee, Logan, Asher and the kids from Outdoor Explorers Camp at Long Lake from July 9th through the 14th.

There were a lot of interesting sightings this week, including a close encounter with a Common Loon. When our group was swimming, a loon came within a few feet of us and didn’t leave. One of the Long Lake staff paddled over on a kayak and chased him away. We were all surprised that it came so close to us. This was the latest in an ongoing Long Lake loon saga. During our week, there were times when we saw single loons, but other times when there were two loons feeding together, and even once when THREE loons were together. There are still no loonlets. The Long Lake naturalists are stumped. Any thoughts John? Other sightings were a doe and a fawn - still with spots, plenty of wild raspberries and blueberries (YUMM!), Birdsfoot Trefoil in bloom, Wild Sarsaparilla berries are ripe, and we tasted Pineapple Weed. Tent caterpillar moths are everywhere, we saw a number of paper wasp nests, and noticed lots of galls. We found Oak galls, and quite a few Goldenrod galls. It’s a pretty good year for wasps. Our group also saw, but couldn’t identify a small water mammal. We think it was a baby beaver. We definitely saw two otters playing and feeding near the beach. Monarchs are emerging from their chrysalis and quite a few are flitting about the wildflowers. We also observed that there are still a few Monarch caterpillars on Milkweed. Our group visited the Long Lake bee hives. The hive is healthy, and their honey production has increased rapidly of late thanks in part to a bumper crop of Basswood tree flowers. In the hives, there are more than 100,000 bees! Roger Sorben from Sorben honey opened one of the hives for us, and we got to taste fresh honey. Delicious. With wild raspberries, blueberries and fresh honey to eat, it was a SWEET week in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you from the Aitkin County Fair by Sawyer, Dawson, Cameron, Marla and Simone. Great job!

Hello, we are Sawyer, Dawson, Cameron, Marla and Simone reporting for Long Lake Conservation Center from the Aitkin County Fair. This is the report for July 3rd-7th. We are enjoying our butterfly house. Many of the monarch caterpillars collected earlier this summer are in the hanging “J” and chrysalis stages. A few have molted into adult butterflies. We’ve observed hundreds of Monarchs and other butterflies flitting from flower to flower on campus. Long Lake’s loons are still paired together, feeding. No loonlets in sight. We think they either had a failed nesting, or they didn’t nest at all. A Ruffed Grouse stopped while crossi

ng the road, allowing its chick to catch up. To our surprise the tiny chick FLEW to safety. We didn’t think a chick that small would be able to take flight. Did you know that Grouse chicks are also known as poults, squealers and cheepers. A woodchuck was spotted roaming campus eating grass and wildflowers. It was about half the size of the adult we normally see, making us think it’s a pup. Woodchuck young are known as pups, kits, or Beth’s favorite chucklings. She also thinks they should be called Whistle Pigs more often. We agree! We are all enjoying the beginning of the wild raspberry season. There are plenty of plump, sweet berries to enjoy. There are reports of a bumper crop of wild blueberries nearby, and the birds have dropped evidence that suggest that this is true, but so far we haven’t found any. We’ll keep looking. The woods are ripe with food for all to eat. No creature big or small should be struggling to find food this time of year. The campus deer - despite this abundance - decided to eat Beth’s grape clusters. She thinks that’s rude. “They weren’t even ripe,” she was heard muttering. A resident of the next door neighbor lake to Long Lake had 2 dead adult canada geese on her shore. She is thinking a snapping turtle got them but we are not sure if a snapping turtle could or would kill a large canada goose. What do you think? Though not related to nature, our favorite fair food is deep fried cookie dough, dipped in chocolate and coated in bacon. Hardly any calories at all. It was a great week and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Savannah, Brian and Henry who attended 4H Summer Camp at Long Long from June 28th through the 30th.

Hello, we are Savannah, Brian and Henry reporting from 4H Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center June 28th through the 30th. Here are some of the things we noticed during our adventures. A day of rain was needed, but woke up all the mosquitos. The chicken of the woods mushrooms have started to emerge as well. Seen in bloom were Purple Prairie Clover and Upright Prairie Coneflower. The common milkweed is in full bloom and a host to many insects including many, many bumblebees. Babies are emerging and active. The barn swallow babies are visible in the entry of the lodge, young chipmunks are playing along the paths and another fawn was seen bedded down in the swamp. Monarch caterpillars continue to be active and quite a few chrysalis have formed. The loons have been very actively feeding, is there possibly a baby to take care of? Oh and the skunk…It was a great week and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Finn, Sawyer and the other campers at Forkhorn I Firearm Safety Training Camp. The .mp3 is attached, and the script and embed code are below.

Hello, we are Finn and Sawyer reporting from summer camp at Long Lake Conservation Center June 18th through the 23rd. Here are some of the things we noticed during our adventures. Seen in bloom in the waters and the boggy sphagnum edges of Long Lake were: Common bladderwort, yellow pond-lily, small white water-lily, Dragon’s mouth orchid, Grass pink orchid, Purple marshlocks, Sundew and Blue flag. The bird report includes; loons, the hooting of a barred owl, ruby-throated hummingbirds, pileated woodpeckers, americans robins, male and female goldfinches and a bluebird. Lots of ticks were noticed along with, tiny spittlebugs protected by their slimy Spittle bubbles, mosquitos, horse flies, deer flies, paper wasps, very busy ants, small orange butterflies and sooo many monarch caterpillars, one or more caterpillars on almost every milkweed plant we looked at! A pheasant & deer were hanging out together on the edge of the forest. There were several raccoon sightings around campus. Many painted turtles were seen sunning on logs and laying eggs. And 2 spotted fawns were spotted, with 2 does close by. It was a great week and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Tori, Bella, Kinley, Chloe, Charli, Briley and the other campers at Forkhorn I Firearm Safety Training Camp.

Hello we are reporting from summer camp at Long Lake Conservation Center June 11th through the 16th. Here are some of the things we noticed during our adventures. Frogs and minnows swimming in the lake. We saw 8 deer, and the Long Lake porcupine, Dill Prickles, was sighted walking into a wetland. Loons were taking a bath on the lake and a large flock of geese were flying over the lake. We also saw goldfinch and indigo buntings. We also think we heard a screech owl. A painted turtle was laying eggs on the beach and many blue Lake Darner dragonflies were seen. Fireflies flashing at night and the first monarch butterfly caterpillars of the summer! We “spotted” many Giant Leopard Moths (they have a lot of spots) and also spittlebugs and there were several chipmunks running around with very full cheeks. We saw White Admiral Butterflies. The spreading dogbane and the daisies are in bloom! Bluebird chicks were heard in the nesting box and black-billed cuckoos were heard, but not seen. They eat tent caterpillars so they have plenty of food out here..It was a great week and we want to remind everyone to…

Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by MaKayleigh, Dacey, Fransisca, Cielito and the students from Pine Point School in Ponsford.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center June 5th through the 7th our favorite activity was canoeing! It was a good way to get a break from the mosquitoes and see some nature! We saw loons and otters on the lake and leeches swimming in the lake.

The raspberries and the columbine are blooming. We found painted turtles; tiny ones and larger ones. The fluffy white cotton grass in the bog is up. The tent caterpillars were everywhere we looked. We saw monarch butterflies and tiger swallowtail butterflies.

Out and about on the trails we met some garter snakes and a fawn. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind you to…Unplug, Get outside, Go canoeing, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Thomas and the students from Madison Elementary School in Blaine.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on June 5th and 6th, the woods and waters were abundant with new life. One of the highlights was seeing a handful of pink lady’s slippers in the bog. They are part of the orchid family and are as beautiful and delicate as they are rare. We don’t think they will be in bloom for much longer. Also in the bog, the flowers of the Pitcher Plant are about 8 inches high now and some of them have started to open. Labrador tea, bog rosemary, and leatherleaf are also flowering. Our group also saw a Monarch caterpillar. We also saw a single loon on the lake. That means the other is probably on the nest. We are happy to say that there has been a LARGE hatch of dragonflies emerging from the lake. The most common dragonfly spotted was a Widow Skimmer. They are black and white and are pretty large. They won’t go hungry, that’s for sure. There are plenty of mosquitos to eat. Our group saw many painted turtles, leopard frogs and toads. We expected to see Snapping Turtles on the move laying eggs, but I guess mom is not ready yet. An unconfirmed sighting of Dill Prickles the porcupine was reported near the marsh on campus. If true, it will be the first sighting of our spiky friend in the last two weeks. On a sad note, one of our teachers found a dead fawn curled up in the grass. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind you to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Daphne, Adam and the students from Hamilton Elementary Coon Rapids.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center May 31st through June 1st, the bog was in bloom!! We saw pink lady’s slippers and blooming labrador tea, bog rosemary, and leatherleaf. Several bees were noticed buzzing around the raspberry patches but there are not any blooms for them yet. Th

e wild roses are also not in bloom but we did notice some galls on them, some of the galls were brown and dried up and had little holes in them where the insect came out and some of them looked new with no holes.

We saw dragonflies emerging from the lake onto the cattails for their final molt before becoming the mosquito hawks that we really appreciate, both for their beauty and for the mosquito eating. There is a mama phoebe nesting in the eave of one of the buildings and one group saw it catch a moth, no babies were seen or heard. We also noted one bluebird, one turkey, one sandhill crane, a few Monarch butterflies, garter snakes and frogs and way too many mosquitos, tent caterpill

ars and wood ticks. We had some great adventures in nature and we want to remind you to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Adrian, Charlotte and the students from Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts in Anoka.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center May 22nd through the 24th, we used all of our senses to notice the nature all around us! In the bog we saw flowering marsh marigolds, bog rosemary, leatherleaf and the first fluffs of cottongrass. We felt the soft new needles and saw the tiny purple cones of the tamarack. We tasted and felt the cool bog water drips as we squeezed the sphagnum high over our faces. We took turns bouncing on the moss to feel the ground wiggle underneath us. One class found part of a fish skeleton in the bog and we took time to wonder how it got there, by land or maybe dropped from the sky? Our two big first of the year sightings were a monarch butterfly and curled up spotted fawn lying on the forest floor. On campus a skunk was smelled but not seen. The blueberries and the jack in the pulpits are in bloom. The loud laughter of the pileated woodpecker and red-winged blackbird calls were heard as were frogs. At the bird feeders there were many sightings of male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks and male and female orioles. A bluebird was also seen as was; a spider with a white egg sack, a garter snake, a toad, leeches, fat round bees, loons on the lake and an ant dragging a caterpillar. Many, many mosquitos were seen, heard and felt! We had a great time in nature and you can too, you just need to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This week's report is brought to you by Lauren and Levi and the students from Cold Spring Elementary.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 19th, we experienced a great bursting of new life! Jameson found a newly hatched painted turtle on its way to the lake. We hope it makes it. On the lake, Long Lake’s pair of loons was busy fishing, and spotted by many canoers. One person even saw a loon catch and eat what looked like a small perch. Because both loons were spotted together, we think they are not on their nest yet. That should happen soon. At the lake, a few dragonflies have hatched and were seen chasing insects, including mosquitoes. We didn’t get a good look at the dragonflies, but we suspect they were Common Green Darners. It was a good trip for bird watching. Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, and Bluebirds were seen on the feeders, and Nashville warblers and Pine warblers were heard, but not seen. We also saw lots of Blue Jays, Robins, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and Eastern Phoebes. Our group spotted a few Robin’s egg blue egg shells on the ground, but we didn’t see any hatchlings. We saw frogs, toads, a centipede, lots of spiders and ticks and slugs under trees. Naturalist Jake said he spotted Dill Prickles the porcupine on campus last night, but we didn’t see him during our trip. In the woods Trillium is just starting to bloom as are Common Blue Violets. It’s the season of new life, with the world in full bloom. We want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Tenley, Morgan, Kira and the students from Minnewaska in Glenwood.

Our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center May 10th through the 12th was all about green, turtles, Orioles and Beavers. Our group saw dozens of painted turtles, including a handful of hatchlings making their way to the lake. We also saw eight painted turtles sunning on one log. Also near the water, we saw and heard a lot of frogs including an orange tree frog and a baby toad. We even saw a Garter Snake swimming in the lake. Another Garter Snake spotted outside our dorm window and we named is sssssssssimon. The world became green seemingly overnight with lots of trees speeding from budding to leafing. Ash trees are now about half leafed out and Catkins were observed on the Aspens. In addition to Blue Jays, Goldfinches, Robins, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Chickadees, our group saw the first Oriole of the season and a pair of male Red-breasted Grosbeaks were seen on the feeders. Though there have been reports of hummingbirds in the area, none were observed at Long Lake. One of the highlights of the trip was getting up close to a beaver. Last night at the bonfire, a beaver came close to shore. We were able to get pretty close to it before we were advised to back up and let it go about its business. It was fun to get that close! Other sightings during our trip included a variety of different types of spiders, including a wolf spider crawling on a plant in the woods and a spider carrying an egg sack. A handful of slugs, including one that looked like a yellow jelly bean, were found and a person in our group actually held one. The Loon pair, a number of Bald Eagles and a Wild Turkey were observed. It was fun to see turkeys fly. The ticks are certainly around, and we , and We had a great time exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Landon, Bryn, Zoey and the students from Good Shepherd in Golden Valley, Mary of Lourdes in Little Falls.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center May 8th through the 10th we noticed many signs of spring. We heard reports of Orioles and Hummingbirds nearby so we put some cut oranges on the feeders. We did not see any but a rose-breasted grosbeak visited one of the oranges almost immediately. Tree Swallows returned to Long Lake. We also saw Goldfinches, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, woodpeckers and Chickadees. There were two loons on the lake and we saw one eat a fish. Unfortunately, ticks are out and about in great numbers. Many in our group had them crawling on their clothes. A newly hatched Painted Turtle was found. We’re happy to report that it made it safely to the lake. Lots of other turtles were spotted sunning themselves on logs. A person from our group found a dead Merganser on the shore covered in leeches. Spring Peepers were heard AND seen, and a number of Leopard Frogs were identified. Lots of Garter Snakes were spotted in the woods, but a few were still hanging out near the hibernacula. This morning’s rain brought out dozens of earthworms. Beavers were busy in the morning. In the forest, Hepatica is in bloom. Dill Prickles the porcupine was not spotted during our trip, and the Otters were notably absent. The warm weather brought the return of many insects. A variety of spiders, unidentified butterflies, 21 slugs, and a number of Tri-colored Bumble Bees were spotted. The grass is turning green and the snow is entirely gone. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This week's report is brought to you by Isla, Jacoby and the students from Crooked Lake Elementary School in Andover.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center May 3rd through the 5th we had beautiful spring weather. There were several wildlife sightings down at the Long Lake beach including; beavers, turkeys, a pair of loons and a painted turtle basking in the sun. We discovered a dead perch on the beach and the next day a bald eagle was seen picking it up and flying away with it. There have been a number of dead fish found, likely the result of a small winterkill. One of the highlights was getting to see a hatchling painted turtle. It must have hatched earlier in the day. We are happy to report it made it to the lake. The first Long Lake Leopard frog of the year was discovered on a path between the marsh and the lake. It was big and did not look like it was quite ready for spring, it was moving very slowly. Garter snakes were seen in good numbers in the woods. We even found some that were killed by cars trying to cross the road. FLOWERS ARE BACK! We saw Siberian Squill - a non-native invasive with blue flowers that can be mistaken for our native Blue-eyed grass. We also found a dandelion and the leatherleaf plants in the bog have flower buds. Also in the bog, the tamarack trees have tiny bright green needle bundles. More bird sightings included; Blue jays, White-throated sparrows, Yellow-rumped warblers, hooded and common mergansers, and woodpeckers. The Woodcocks were heard peenting in the evening. A number of ticks were found, and a “mean one” was pulled off one of our group. Yuck! Our group also saw the season’s first wasps. Deep in the woods, there are still a few small piles of snow left, but it’s almost all gone. We had a sunny time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's first report is brought to you by Nadia, Bristol and the students from Central Elementary School in Norwood Young America.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center April 24th through the 26th we were lucky to have some first-of-the-year sightings. One of the most notable was the first otter sighting of the year. There have been signs of otter activity, but this was the first time they’ve been seen since October 19th. Unfortunately, we had a confirmed sighting of a wood tick. Yuck! The last reported tick at Long Lake was November 15. One of the highlights of our trip was during our night hike, when we heard a wolf howl. It was really cool, but a little scary. We also heard a barred owl hooting. The leaves of wild Strawberry are coming up. Dill Prickles was spotted last night in a Norway Pine. Our group observed an army of ants in the hollow of a rotten tree, and a worm in the ground. Other observations were Gold Finches, Hairy Woodpeckers, Mallards, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Robins, Mergansers, slugs, canine tracks - possibly wolf, deer, squirrels. Turkey tracks and Garter Snakes. The Garter snakes are no longer hanging out near the hibernacula. We also heard the song of the Spring Peepers. Very pretty. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Tristan, Alise and the students from Sand Creek Elementary in Coon Rapids. During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center April 26th through the 28th signs of spring were everywhere, including the return of a Loon to Long Lake. It was fun to hear the song again. Buds have broken on red maple trees and Natalie saw new growth on Tamaracks in the bog. Taylor and Oliva saw lots of deer poop, which our group calls Cocoa Puffs. Taylor also saw a woodtick, and what they thought was a Blackberry Tree on the way to the bog, but it was actually a Buckthorn. Jonah, Max, Austyn and others saw Whitetail Deer. The one that Austyn saw was a big one. Carson saw three spiders, rabbits and a rafter of Turkeys were observed in the orienteering field. Many people in our group encountered garter snakes in the woods. Henry was bitten by one! The Long Lake Naturalists told us that Garter Snakes will bite to defend themselves, but are harmless. Henry is doing fine. Our group saw a green stink bug, and in the woods we found lots of Jelly Mushrooms. Dill Prickles made a brief appearance. He walked right through campus so many of us could see him. Other sightings included Hairy Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Robins and Derek saw Hooded Mergansers on the lake. We also heard Western Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers. The ice is going out quickly. When we arrived, there was only about 15 feet of open water around the shore. Today, there are 50 feet or more in some spots. It won’t be long. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Moses and the students from Highland Catholic School in St. Paul.

Our spring trip to Long Lake Conservation Center April 19th through the 21st felt more like a February trip with snow, below freezing temps and a biting north wind. Despite the unseasonable cold, our group saw interesting nature, including the season’s first Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. It was making a big racket on top of one of the metal light poles. Speaking of making a racket, spring peepers were also heard. We were on the lookout but didn’t get to see Dill Prickles or the garter snakes. One of the naturalists saw a pile of chewed up bullhead heads on the lake so we think the otters are around but no sightings yet this year. We did see a good mix of BIG birds including; Sandhill Cranes, Trumpeter Swans and a Vulture. The Hooded Mergansers are making the best of the small amount of lake edge that is open for them. The remaining ice keeps them close to the campus shore and we got a good view of these beautiful birds. Their call sounds kind of like the croak of a frog. We tried to count them but mergansers can stay underwater for quite a long time, more than a minute, so it was hard to keep track of how many there were. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Hayden, Luna and the students from Modern Montessori Charter School in Champlin.

Our spring trip to Long Lake Conservation Center April 12th through the 14th featured many first sightings of the year. Our group was lucky to experience the first temperatures in the 70s this year, melting most of the snow on campus. The sun and warm weather brought a wave of new life to the area. This new life included a Mourning Cloak Butterfly, a spider on the ice, a firefly in a tree, and the season’s first Hooded Mergansers who found some open water around the shore of Long Lake. The Garter Snakes are active and have begun to venture away from the hibernacula in search of food. This was not before a very big slithering ball of dozens of snakes was spotted yesterday morning. Our group also spotted the season’s first Red Bellied Snake. One of our group’s chaperones found a Blue-Spotted Salamander. We all got a good close look at it. A few Chorus Frogs were heard singing in the marsh on campus, and Lady Bugs were everywhere. Two Mallard Drakes flew over campus this morning. On the bus ride to Long Lake, we saw a field that had 30-50 Canada Geese, Trumpeter Swans and a few Sandhill Cranes. Maple trees are budding, officially signaling the end of the tapping season. The Sugar Maples we tapped did flow, but very slowly. The sap of the Birch Trees are also flowing slowly. This is the first time since the fall that Dill Prickles the porcupine was not seen on campus, although a Long Lake Naturalist reported seeing two porcupines together near campus. Maybe Dill found a mate, and we’ll have Baby Dills. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This bonus phenology report is brought to you by the students who visited Long Lake as part of Homeschool Week. Great job young explorers. Thanks for bringing the spring weather.

We had a true spring trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from April 10th to the 12th. We saw many new animals including Garter snakes basking in the sun outside their hibernaculum, so many Robins we couldn't count them all, and bats flying around a bonfire! There were also many ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes flying over. Spring has definitely arrived!

The sap of a few maple trees started to run, but the unseasonably warm weather slowed down most of the trees. The leaves have not started to grow yet, so we could see many bird nests from previous years. Hopefully soon the birds will start using them again! The skies were clear and we could see the big dipper, and many satellites.

Most of the snow has melted, so we were able to find scat from many critters, including deer, porcupines, and rabbits. The bog still held on to the snow, but we spied a cottontail rabbit hanging out and could see the layers of past snowfalls. Dill Prickles the Porcupine is still around, and was spotted in one of his favorite pine trees taking a nap. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…

Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Dave McMillan, Dill Prickles and the Long Lake Naturalist staff

The never-ending winter seems to FINALLY be coming to an end, but not before one more frozen gut punch. The latest storm brought less than two inches of snow, but coated the trees with ice. As the temperatures rose, the ice dropped off the trees, hitting the crusty ground below and making the forest sound like it was popping popcorn. There were some signs of spring early in the week with the arrival of a flock of about a dozen Robins. They hung out a bit, even singing their courtship song, but haven’t been seen since. They might be hunkered down, waiting for the storm to pass or they might have headed back south. A pair of Canada Geese and Trumpeter Swans flew over Long Lake. Turkeys have been very active, but we have only observed one tom in strut. A deer was struck by a car and killed on the road near Long Lake. A large adult Bald Eagle, two immature Bald Eagles and a crow were spotted feasting on the carrion. The difference between an adult and immature Bald Eagles are that the adults have white heads and tail feathers, and the immatures wear Axe Body Spray. The maple sap is STILL not flowing. We suspect that this upcoming weekend with be the only flow of the season at Long Lake. When the sun comes out, we are seeing Garter Snakes emerge from the hibernacula. Dill Prickles has been his normal attention-seeking self, walking around the campus like he owns the place. He’s eaten about 75% of his favorite Red Oak. We’re afraid, the tree has given its life to the cause of Environmental Education. Spring is nearly three weeks behind schedule, and it’s of note that we have yet to see the otters this season. Last year at this time, they were spotted nearly every day gorging themselves on frogs. Also noted for their absence are puddle ducks. Normally, Mergansers, Wood Ducks, and Goldeneyes have returned by now to find open water along the shoreline and around the beaver lodge. Temperatures approaching 60 degrees ABOVE ZERO are forecast for next week. We can’t wait for the flood of new life, but hope there are not actual floods. Spring weather is coming and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED.

This week's report is brought to you by Frank, Eli, Bella and the students from St. Joe's in Grand Rapids and St. Henry's in Perham.

Our spring trip to Long Lake Conservation Center March 29th through the 31st turned into a winter trip. Our group saw a cluster of Garter Snakes basking in the sun. It looked like they might have regretted the decision to leave the hibernacula. A large group of turkeys were spotted and a Long Lake Naturalist said he saw one tom strutting. It was the first sighting of toms in strut this year. We also smelled a skunk at night. These are all sure signs that spring weather will eventually get here. The sap of a few maple trees started to run a little last weekend, but stopped with the return of winter temperatures. This means that we are officially a week behind last year. Two Chipmunks were observed chasing each other, and coyote tracks were seen in the snow. On Thursday morning, some people heard coyotes howling loudly for about half an hour. The crust on the snow was described by Principal Matetich as “Distrustful to walk on.” The snow in the open near the bird feeders was measured at 17 inches deep. This is 7 inches less than last week. There was a low spot in the woods where a chaperone broke through the crust and sunk up to his waist. In other words, there is still A LOOOOOOOTTTT of snow left to melt. We saw a variety of interesting tracks in the snow, including turkeys, coyotes, rabbits, deer and mice. The usual assortment of birds were observed at the feeder and in the forest. This included Chickadees, Nuthatches, Pileated Woodpeckers and Blue Jays. Our group also trekked into the bog where we ate leaves from the Labrador Tea Plant. Mars, Venus and the international space station were visible during Astronomy class. Dill Prickles the porcupine was very active during our trip. He was spotted in his favorite Red Oaks, napping in a Norway Pine, and on the ground crossing the path. Everyone got a good, close look at him. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Carys, Kloe and the students from Cromwell-Wright High School.

No sap is flowing yet, with last year’s date of March 25th for first sap flow just around the corner. Average Snow Depth in the woods is 27 inches, this is 12 inches deeper than it was at the end of December here at LLCC. Open field average snow depth is 24 inches. Inside a tree circle melt area the average snow depth is 8 inches.

On our way to the bog we saw an Ash tree with 3 species of lichen growing on it, and a Quaking Aspen with 4 species of lichen growing on it. We also saw and heard the marcescent red oak leaves rattling in the VERY brisk easterly wind.

We noticed deer, rabbit, raccoon, and woodpecker tracks in the snow. And last but not least, the birds we saw were Pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers. White-breasted and Red-breasted nuthatches, Grouse, and Turkeys. In fact, we flushed a Ruffed Grouse on our walk. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This snowy report is brought to you by Elliot, Maddy and the students from Battle Lake Elementary.

The maple sap is not running yet. In 2022 sap started running at Long Lake on March 25. It should be pretty close to that this year. Despite the snow, we saw two Garter Snakes in the snow. We think they’re as ready for spring as we are. A lot of Bald Eagles have moved into the area, and in most cases were spotted in pairs. Long Lake’s chef said that the pair at her house are already in the nest. Our group spotted the first Robin of the season. The Long Lake staff said that this Robin is a migratory bird, because none have been spotted on campus all winter. Last year, the first Robin at Long Lake was spotted on March 18.

Dill Prickles the porcupine was high up on a skinny branch of a red oak on campus taking a “grandpa nap”. We also got to see him shake the snow off himself from up in the tree. Very cute. Two Long Lake naturalists jumped into Long Lake on Tuesday to make a fun video about summer camp. We got to check out the hole in the lake and saw small sunfish and perch and a few bullheads. There were HUNDREDS of minnows coming to the surface checking it out; enjoying the light. The naturalists said the minnow are northern red-bellied dace. The ice depth was 18 inches. A Chipmunk was at the bird feeder, and we saw Blue Jay and lots of deer tracks on the path. In birding class, the Chickadees were eating out of our gloves and hats. Other birds spotted near the feeders were; Nuthatches and Hairy Woodpeckers. We had a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Azalea, Berkley and the students from Paynesville Elementary School.

After having our trip rescheduled because of a snow storm we FINALLY made it to Long Lake Conservation Center March 8th to March 10th. The red squirrels amazed us with how long they can chase each other on branches from tree to tree without needing to use the ground. Every once and while doing some gymnastics moves to make the chase all that more interesting. Dill Prickles was seen in its favorite red oak, another smaller red oak, a red pine and walking around behind the dining hall. The snow has melted around the base of the favorite red oak revealing a big pile of soggy sawdust.

There were many bald eagle sightings this week, including 2 eagles flying together. A Long Lake naturalist saw 2 immature bald eagles flying together. A deer was seen defecating in a bush. An owl was heard in the evening. We tapped a sugar maple tree but no sap flowed. Bare grass is showing at the base of some trees, but until temperatures regularly reach the 40s in the day and dip below freezing at night, the sap won’t start to flow. There are reports of sap flowing about 75 miles south of here, so we suspect that sap will be flowing at Long Lake in a week or two. It was a great winter camp and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Lily, Tristan and the students from Bertha-Hewitt

We visited Long Lake Conservation Center from February 27th through March 1. Before the new snow, March lived up to its name from the Ojibwe - Onaabani-Giizhis - “Crust on the Snow Moon.” During the warm days, the snow on the hills on the north side of Long Lake had entirely melted exposing the grasses and plants. In the snow, we saw lots of interesting tracks. We identified Bobcat, Raccoon, deer, rabbit, grouse, coyote and, of course, porcupine tracks. It was the first raccoon tracks of the season. A deer was spotted covered with snow on Wednesday morning, and a JJ heard an owl outside of his window at night, probably a Barred Owl.

The feeders were a busy place. Chickadees were abundant and seen chasing after each other. The typical assortment of woodpeckers, Blue Jays and Nuthatches were busy eating. A Grey Squirrel was getting its share of seeds as well. The feeders were soon empty and our class filled them up. It was interesting that in less than three minutes all the birds returned. Dill Prickles the porcupine was ever present, and was spotted eating in his favorite Red Oak, but moved to a Norway Pine where he we saw him sleeping at around 8 p.m. The Pussywillow catkins are just starting to break open; a sure sign that spring is fast approaching.

It’s a great time to explore the world and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and to…LIVE CONNECTED.

This week's report is brought to you by Jacob from the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa.

While we were in the woods, we didn’t see too many critters. That’s probably because of the chainsaw noise, but the Long Lake naturalists said they saw a bunch of cool stuff. The new snowfall was great for tracking: saw a large canine tracks - possibly wolf, lots of fox tracks AND a large cat, maybe Bobcat? It was interesting to see the highway systems of trails that deer and predators follow. We also saw 13 white-tailed deer in one area, Bald Eagles, Bald Eagles, Dogwoods brightening up the ditches on our drives into the center, the first skunk sighting of the season, Blue Jays and Pileated woodpeckers. And we did not see...Redpolls, none this winter after last year being a very big tear for redpolls in this area. It was a great week and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Kenzie from St. Mary Help of Christians in St. Augusta, Zoey from St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton in St. Cloud and Julia and Avery from St. Andrew in Elk River.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center February 13th through the 15th, we experienced one of the first rains of the year, and the next morning – ice. In between the raindrops, we spotted a flock of eight Ruffed Grouse and a pair of Bald Eagles flying overhead. During one of our hikes, we found a well-used deer path across the Long Lake. In the middle of the path, we found a big patch of fur on the ground. On the feeders, we saw two Goldfinches, lots of Blue Jays, Nuthatches, and Pileated Woodpeckers. A male Downy Woodpecker was heard drumming, marking its territory for mating season. Our group found a Robin’s nest from last year. It’s a good time to go nest hunting. We also found a bunny den, and, of course, saw Dill Prickles the campus Porcupine. We spotted Dill in a Red Pine. One of the highlights was having Chickadees eating seeds from our hands. There are signs of spring all around, and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED.

This week's report comes from Grayson at St. Mary’s Melrose and Rebecca from Sacred Heart in Freeport.

It was a mild winter weather trip to Long Lake Conservation Center for us Feb 8th through Feb 10th 2023.There was a lot to see outside the Dining Hall window at the bird feeders; we saw chipmunks, gray squirrels, red squirrels, blue jays, chickadees, nuthatches, and a pileated woodpecker. Thursday evening as we started dinner we all got to watch a barred owl carefully watching the ground under the bird feeders. In porcupine news, we had the honor of announcing the winning name for the campus porcupine! Dill Prickles was the winner! We saw him (or her) several times during our trip, sleeping and eating in a red oak and climbing up into a red pine. We also saw another porcupine in the woods on our snowshoe hike. Some students saw a garter snake moving slowly on a sunny snowbank close to a building. A tiger moth caterpillar and a spider were seen on the snow. A mole was crawling around in the snow. The hole we discovered in a snowy brush area we think could be a coyote den. During our night hikes we had clear skies and could see Orion, the Pleiades, Jupiter along with some of its moons and in the southern sky several meteorites. We had great adventures in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Lainey, Reagan, Riley and the young adventures who attended Homeschool Week at Long Lake from January 30th through February 2.

The weather was cold, chilly, arctic and frosty. The birds that we saw were Blue Jays, Snow Buntings, Pine Grosbeaks, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Grouse and Red-bellied, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers. One Gray Squirrel was spotted under the bird feeders and many squirrel nests were seen in the trees. Some people think that Gray Squirrels hibernate because they are not seen very often in colder months. They are not hibernating, but they do sleep a lot in their warm winter nests, called dreys. The nests look like a big mess of leaves and twigs high in trees. Gray Squirrels can be seen in the winter but they stay hidden and cozy in their drey when the weather is cold. The Long Lake porcupine was in its tree to welcome us on Monday. Following its tracks led us to a culvert that goes under a path, the tracks kept going out the other side of the culvert into the woods. 2 deer were seen on the lake. We looked at the waxing gibbous moon at night and enjoyed a bright pink sunrise on Wednesday morning. It was a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…

Unplug, wear layers, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week's report is brought to you by Ella and the students from Cohasset Elementary

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on January 26th and 27th, we saw the sun for what seemed like the first time in weeks! During our explorations we observed a really fat Blue Jay, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Grouse, and Red-bellied and Pileated woodpeckers. One of the Long Lake Naturalists heard the Chickadee’s “HEY SWEETIE OR PHOEBE” Song <<WHISTLE HERE>>. That means at least one Chickadee is thinking about spring. Underneath the birdfeeder, we saw small tracks leading to a hole in the snow. We think it’s a mouse or chipmunk living there, popping up when its hungry to eat the seeds the birds spill. We also saw lots of deer, fox and Porcupine tracks. A person in our group reported seeing a Red Fox outside his window at night. One of the highlights was a visit from Long Lake’s resident Porcupine. It was in the Red Oak eating bark, but climbed down and walked on the path. We all got a good look at it. It was a great time in nature and we want to remind everyone to…Unplug, Get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This week Long Lake hosted the Minnesota Master Naturalist, North Woods, Great Lakes biome course. They had an impressive list of observations. Looking up they noticed Mars, Jupiter and Pleiades. Also, with eyes to the sky there were many birds seen; a flock of 12 pine grosbeaks, a bald eagle, red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatches, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red-bellied, pileated), black-capped chickadees, blue jays, cedar waxwings and a rough-legged hawk. Great-horned owls were also heard calling. During tracking class eyes were fixed on the snow where ermine, wolf and vole tracks were found. It was a great week in nature!

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY

After several days of snowy weather and fresh plowing we are noticing groups of birds, namely crows and turkeys, lined up in the narrow strip of gravel that the plows have exposed along the road edges. Birds whose diet consists of hard food like seeds, swallow stones or "grit" to enhance their gizzard's ability to grind up the food. The stones grind the food in the gizzard much like teeth mashup food so we can digest it more easily. The sun is out and it's beautiful. Get out and explore.