Phenology
2025

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY

The days are getting longer! The Winter Solstice was December 21 - the day with the shortest daylight period of the year (only 8 hours and 45 minutes or so). We will gain daylight little by little, starting slowly with one to two minutes per day, but building its pace until the Summer Solstice when we’ll enjoy nearly 16 hours of daylight! Fun fact: The word "solstice" is Latin for "sun stand", referring to the sun's apparent pause in its highest noon position before starting its northward journey. In nature, we continue to see loads of pileated woodpeckers. They are devouring the suet at a rate of about one cake per day. What a treat it is to spend time watching these amazing birds. We count ourselves lucky to be able to share the wonders of nature everyday with young people. In return, we receive their enthusiasm, passion, weirdness and curiosity. It’s the best gift of all. During this season of light, gifts and family, we hope you find time to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED! And if you can, bring a kid with you.

This report is brought to you by Liz, Asa and the students from Oneka Elementary. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on December 17th through the 19th, we had a full range of winter weather with a balmy high temperature of 37 degrees Fahrenheit and a frigid low of 10 degrees below zero. Our trip was a celebration of the simple beauty and joy of Minnesota winters. We explored the forest and frozen wetlands on foot, snowshoes and skis, taking time to enjoy the trees, snow, ice and even the clouds. Caroll thought the clouds looked like animals and dinosaurs. Our group saw otter tracks on the lake and followed them to the hole in the ice. We didn’t see the otters. There were lots of other tracks as well, including rabbits, mice, squirrels and deer. And where there are animals, there is scat. …So much scat. We think the deer scat looks like cocoa puffs. Our groups found a couple of deer beds and heard an eagle during Thicket Ecology class. At the feeders, we observed Chickadees, Nuthatches, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers. The Long Lake staff told us that there are an unusually large number of Pileated woodpeckers this year. They seem to be everywhere. We had a great time in nature and want to wish everyone a happy holiday season, and to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Neepa, Trinity and Mukwa from Dream of Wild Health in Minneapolis. Dream of Wild Health is an indigenous organization with a mission to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways. What a great organization and amazing group of young people. Miigwech!

Our trip to Long Lake Conservation on December 12th through the 14th was the coldest trip here this winter! The highs started at 15 degrees on Friday but temperatures stayed below 5 degrees for the rest of our trip, with the low reaching -20! It was the coldest day here since February 12th of this year. Despite the cold, we still had a great time exploring outside! One of the highlights was the amazing Geminids meteor shower on the 13th! Caused by cosmic debris known as meteoroids, this shower happens once a year and is known for being one of the strongest and most visible showers here in Minnesota. Some meteoroids were visible for over 4 seconds! During the day, we also got the chance to see lots of signs of wildlife while we explored nature on foot, on skis, and on snowshoes. Some exciting finds were the rabbit droppings, coyote tracks, as well as mouse tracks leading into burrows under the ground where they spend most of their time keeping warm during the winter below the frost line. Despite the cold, we were also able to spot several different bird species throughout our trip, with the woodpeckers being especially active on our suet feeders. More specifically, we were able to identify 4 different species of woodpeckers including Downy, hairy, pileated, and red-bellied woodpeckers. Overall, we had an amazing time getting to learn and try new things and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Maisy, DK, Rylie and Natalie from Andover Elementary Gold Group.

Our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on December 3rd through the 5th was COOOOOOOLD! The high temperature was 18 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 12 degrees below zero. This was the coldest day of the season so far and the first below zero reading since January 19 of 2025. The cold didn’t stop us from exploring nature. One of the highlights was seeing a Pine Grosbeak. The last sighting was a couple of weeks ago when a flock of grosbeaks were migrating through. It is not common to see Pine Grosbeaks at Long Lake. Our group saw a couple of very large Pileated Woodpeckers on the suet, and chickadees, nuthatches and gray squirrels at the feeders. The red squirrels were active in the woods, and there were signs of animals rooting under the snow looking for food. Our group saw lots of deer, coyote, squirrel and bunny tracks, and Haddie found a deer bed in the snow that had lots of leaves in it. At night, we saw the December “Cold Supermoon”. It was 10 percent bigger than normal because it’s about 17,000 miles closer to the Earth. We heard the lake “creak and crack” loudly as ice formed. A Long Lake teacher measured the thickness of the ice 20 feet from shore. It is 5 inches thick. We walked on the ice, but stayed close to land. We had a great time in the snow and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Charlie, Milo, Lily and the students from Andover Elementary Black Group.

Our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on December 1st through the 3rd was a true winter adventure. The high temperature was 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 10. During our explorations of the woods and wetlands on foot and by snowshoe, we saw hundreds of animal tracks and trails, plus a whole lot of scat - that’s science for poop. We saw a deer bed, plus deer, bunny, coyote, squirrel tracks and mouse and vole tunnels under the snow. The fancy science word for those tunnels is subnivean trails. We also saw a deer bed. Despite signs everywhere, we saw very few actual animals. They must be huddled up to stay warm. We did flush a white tailed deer, and we saw a snow spider in the bog. The two most common types of spiders that are active on top of the snow are Dwarf Spiders and Wolf Spiders. The one we saw was a Wolf Spider. These are pretty big and scary looking, but are harmless to people and eat lots of bugs. We had a great time in the snow and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Cambria, Justice and the students from Underwood Elementary. Good job. You definitely rank in the top 6-7 schools ever!

Our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 24th through the 26th was a tale of two seasons. When we arrived on Monday, the temperature was a sunny 54. By Wednesday, large snowflakes started falling at noon and the temperature dropped to 19. We measured the snow this morning at between six and seven inches. On Monday, the bog was green and the water wasn’t frozen in the pitcher plants. We spotted a garter snake on a trail, soaking up the sun. We knew the snow and cold was coming, so we moved it near the entrance of the hibernaculum. Hopefully, he is safe and sound with his friends. Later, in the woods, we saw a wood frog jumping in the leaves looking for a place to hibernate. After the snow, we noticed lots of fresh deer and other animal tracks. This was Ms. Ann’s 30th trip to Long Lake with our school. We had a great time exploring nature with her and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Trinity, Samara, Lucy and the students from New Century Academy in Hutchinson.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 19th through the 21st the high temperature was 42 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 22. When we arrived, the lake was completely frozen. Through the ice at the shore, we saw two frogs - a big one and a little one sitting motionless in about two inches of water. They appeared to be frozen, but not dead. We can’t figure this one out, John. Any theories? By the way, we named the frogs Tom and Jerry. During Wolf Pack class, we howled like wolves and to our surprise heard coyotes howl in response. Other observations include a bald eagle sitting on the ice, a muskrat swimming near the shore, a total of ten deer and, surprisingly, a few Ladybugs were spotted on trees. During our trip to the “Secret Bog”, we found a Nursery Web Spider, clumps of Club Moss on a game trail and noted that Wild Strawberry leaves are still bright green, but some are starting to change colors. 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 Hank, Claire and the students from Rum River Elementary School in Andover. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 12th through the 14th the high temperature was an unseasonably warm 56 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 24. During the middle of the day, it was warm and sunny enough for a few garter snakes to leave and wander away from their hibernaculum. Jackson reported flushing a grouse on the way to class, and we saw Chickadees, Nuthatches, lots of Blue Jays and chunky squirrels on the feeders. In the woods, we spotted woodpeckers, red squirrels and deer. During Fire Building class, we got an up close look at a muskrat who swam close to shore to eat some water plants. It didn’t seem bothered by us at all. Overnight, about an eighth of the lake was covered with a thin layer of ice, quickly melting during the day. Once the temperature drops to normal, it won’t be long before the lake freezes for the winter. It’s been a dry autumn. The lake level was measured at only 1.14 feet. In September, the lake was measured at 1.45 feet. That’s a drop of 21.38%. The Northern Lights put on a good show on Thursday night and our teachers got some great pictures. 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 Daisy and the students from Northern Lights Community School in Warba and Ethan and the students from Crosslake Community Charter School in Crosslake.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 11th and 12th the high temperature was a mostly cloudy 48 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 26. Fortunately, the skies cleared just in time to see the northern lights. It was a first for most of us. What a show! The lights were so bright we could see the dancing red and green lights with the naked eye. The colors painted the entire sky. Bill Kochen from the Minnesota Astronomical Society said that the brightness and expanse of the auroras was very unusual. We took a break from the northern lights to look through the telescope to see the rings of Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy. We couldn’t see much else in the night sky because the northern lights were so bright. Terrestrial sightings were highlighted by daily visits from otters and muskrats. We also enjoyed watching the squirrels gorge themselves on the birdseed. 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 Penelope, MacKenzie and the students from Pequot Lakes Middle School. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on November 5th and 6th, the high temperature was a sunny 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 19. The super moon was very large and bright. The Ojibwe call the November full moon the “Beaver Moon”. Our group didn’t see any beavers, but Kinley, Walker and others saw a muskrat on the lake. On Wednesday, the warm midday sun resulted in some sightings unusual for November. We saw a garter snake sunning itself outside of the hibernaculum, an Earthworm and Autumn Meadowhawk Dragonfly, and there were multiple reports of wasps. With colder temperatures in the forecast, this might be the last sightings of these critters until spring. Other sightings included whitetail deer, a dead Blue Jay, and red and grey squirrels. In the bog, we found cranberries. Along the way there was lots and lots and lots of scat. We found deer, bear and mouse scat. Bash said this morning’s sunrise was beautiful and a few people who stayed up late reported seeing the Northern Lights. 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 Dominic, Karina and the students from St. Odilia School in Shoreview. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 29th through the 31st the high temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 28. It was raining oak leaves during our hike through the woods, and snowing golden Tamarack needles in the bog. There was lots of Pineapple Weed blooming in the thicket and along the trail. One of the highlights of the trip was finding wolf scat that was filled with rabbit fur. A Nursery web spider joined us during Wilderness Meal. We learned that Nursery web spiders are venomous, but their venom isn’t harmful to humans. They are called Nursery spiders because females make big, tented nursery webs. We also saw otters, beavers and muskrats on the lake and lots of deer in the woods and near the bog. Surprisingly, we saw a leopard frog hopping away from the group. He’ll be needing to settle in for the winter pretty soon. 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 Haley, Joe and the students from Fridley Middle School. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 22nd through the 24th the high temperature was 51 degrees Fahrenheit and we had a frosty season low of 19 degrees. We even had a little frozen rain. Brrrrr! The days were mostly sunny and beautiful, but the nighttime stole the show. During our Astronomy class and campfire with s’mores, we heard coyotes yipping on the other side of the lake, and heard Barred Owls hooting. A shooting star passed right over us, we saw the North Star, the Milky Way, and Joe found Saturn on the telescope. It was really cool to see the rings. While canoeing, we saw a muskrat and six Trumpeter Swans on the lake. We also found a Tussock moth caterpillar, snakes near the hibernaculum, puffball mushrooms, and a doe and its fawn. The fawn had no spots. At the bird feeder, we saw bluejays, downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, nuthatches, and, of course, squirrels. 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 James, Karina, Neveah and the students from Treknorth Junior High School. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 20th through the 22nd the weather was cloudy, rainy and blustery with a high temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit and a low 30. During our bog trek, a Bald Eagle flew overhead and we noticed that the leatherleaf is turning red and that the Tamaracks are now 100% golden and losing needles quickly. In the forest, the thistle and White Yarrow are still in bloom. The rusty colored oak leaves are still hanging, but many of the other trees lost their leaves in the wind. On the lake, a muskrat has been seen regularly eating weeds near the shore. During our Lake Bottom Organisms class we found tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, a scud, a giant water bug, a dead crappie and a Backswimmer. Mr. Larson can confirm that Backswimmers bite! He said the bite hurt quite a bit, comparing it to a bee sting. We had a great time exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is bought to you by Thomas, Emma and the students from Rippleside Elementary in Aitkin and Valerie, Sadie and the students from McGregor Elementary. Nice job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 13th through the 15th. The high temperature was 57 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 30. We had a much needed quarter inch of rain on Tuesday. The absence of typical summertime critters was of note. We did not see any butterflies and bees. There were reports of both of these last week. We did see a small red dragonfly that we identified as an Autumn Meadowhawk. The lilypads have flowered and are now under the surface of the lake where they’ll develop and disperse seeds for next spring. The loons have left the lake and no Canada Geese were spotted, but multiple Trumpeter Swans were observed. Other bird sightings included; Nuthatches, Chickadees, one American Robin, House Finches, a Belted Kingfisher, woodpeckers and large flocks of dark-eyed Juncos. We also saw white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, cottontail rabbits, and a toad in the bog. Garter snakes were observed in and around their hibernaculum, but not anywhere else. They aren’t venturing far from their den. We found a few purple asters still in bloom. Tamarack tree needles are golden but not dropping yet. 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 Connor, Charlie and the students from Waconia Middle School - Gold Group . Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 8th through the 10th, we enjoyed PERFECT autumn weather. The high temperature was 68 and the low was 39. During our phenology hike we made these observations:

• The tamaracks in the bog have begun to turn and are now a hue of yellowish gold.

• We found false turkeytail mushrooms

• Raspberry and Blackberry bushes are still green.

• Garter snakes were found peeking their heads out of their hibernacula (hyber - knack- you - la)

• We found lots of worms, a centipede and a blue spotted salamander hiding under logs

• The temperature of the lake water was described as “very cold”

• We smelled a skunk, and saw deer, squirrels, frogs, a slug, a beetle and a paper wasp

• There are still a few dragonflies around and a gray tree frog was soaking up the sun on the side of a building.

• We found a grasshopper on a tree and five stickbugs

It was 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 Kate, Clara and the students from Waconia Middle School - Purple Group.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 6th through the 8th, autumn finally arrived. The high temperature was 62 and the low was 22. That was the season’s first hard frost and the coldest temperature since March 8. During our phenology hike we made these observations:

• About half the trees have changed colors. There are red, orange, yellow, green and brown leaves.

• We found green, light blue and yellow lichen

• Raspberry and Blackberry bushes are still green.

• We found some dog scat. It could be a wolf, but more likely a coyote, and a deer bed. It looked cozy

• Goldenrod has gone to seed.

• Woodpeckers have made lots of holes in a dead tree

• Bracken fern has turned brown

• There are lots of deer around and they look healthy. They are starting to develop their winter coats

• We found lots of goldenrod galls and saw a frog jump into the water. It’s almost time for their winterlong mud nap.

On the lake, a Trumpeter Swan and two Canada Geese were spotted on their way south. At the feeders, we’re seeing Chickadees, Nuthatches, lots and lots of Blue Jays, and, of course, squirrels and chipmunks. Garter snakes are on the move, getting closer to their hibernacula each day. It was 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 Decy and the students from St. Joe's Rosemount, and Adrian, Emmy and the student from Nativity of our Lord in St. Paul.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from October 1st through the 3rd, we had a beautiful, summer-like trip with a high of 83 and a low of 51. The snakes are on the move and nearly everyone in our group spotted at least one garter snake, including one that was two feet long. We also flushed a Ruffed Grouse on the way to the bog, and spotted a number of frogs. Way more trees have changed colors here than in St. Paul and our walks through the woods were crunchy because of the fallen leaves, but Long Lake is still a ways from peak color. We estimate that we’re at about 50 percent of peak color. The Tamaracks in the bog have not begun to turn golden. Our group heard a Saw-Whet Owl, Wooly Bear Caterpillars, whitetail deer, a Kingfisher and squirrels busily gathering food for the winter. Large flocks of Juncos were seen. One of the highlights of the trip was stargazing. We enjoyed clear skies and saw the craters on the moon with cool shadows. We also saw lots of stars, including the big dipper. Despite it being pretty dry, a few of us managed to get about waist deep in the bog. It was 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 Connor, Adelynn, Madds and the student from Braham Elementary School. Great job!

During our trip on September 25th and 26th. The low temp was 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the high was a sunny 80! White-breasted nuthatches, red-breasted nuthatches and chickadees were busy taking turns at one of the sunflower seed birdfeeders. The other feeder was full of squirrels. There seemed to be an agreement worked out between the birds and the squirrels. Small flocks of juncos and goldfinches were spotted in the treetops. Chipmunks and Red squirrels are running everywhere, their cheeks full of food. We also noticed many leopard and wood frogs when walking the trails. Several garter snakes were out and about in the forest and the first one was seen entering the campus hibernacula. That usually means that cold temperatures are sure to arrive soon. Bumblebees were all over the zinnias in the garden. One flower had a katydid and a bumblebee on it. We found a large number of dragonfly larvae in our lake study class and also adult dragonflies around the lake. The night skies were clear and we were able to see the North Star, Cassiopeia and the Milky Way. 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 Rosaria, Leighton, Harper and the students from DaVinci Academy in Ham Lake. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on September 17th through the 19th, we had a sunny high of 78 degrees and a rainy low of 54. Like the weather, we had a mix of summer and autumn nature sightings, including lots of different mushrooms. Rosaria found one with a pink ring-like pattern, Vasiliy found a Jack-o-Lantern mushroom and Aila was excited to find a Bolete or Penny Bun mushroom. Ayah found a blue one and Nolan found 15 different mushrooms, including Chicken of the Woods. The leaves are turning colors and starting to fall. Garter snakes were on the move, and Aila and Harper spotted a big leopard frog near the lake. In the bog, pitcher plants are doing well at catching gnats and small insects. We found and ate a few ripe cranberries and the Cotton Grass is starting to lose its seeds. Pelecinid (pell-i-SIN-id) wasps were seen and a few mosquitos found us at night. The berries are on the Winterberry or Holly Bush. One of the highlights was finding an abandoned turkey nest. Most of the eggs were open and gone, but one did not hatch. Theo found two turkey feathers near the nest. We had 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 Severin and the campers who attended (and survived) the Homeschool Fall Survival Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center from Sept. 8-10.

Naturalist Julia’s report from the lake edge was that the bladderwort were blooming, there were many large not-quite-ripe cranberries and chokeberry fruits. Here are some things that we noticed: Maples and ferns changing color, loud blue jays, lots of wasps on the lily pads while we were canoeing. Wooly Bear Caterpillars, a doe with twin fawns, the fawns still have spots. turkey families walking around campus, winterberries are fruiting, fireflies at night and Evening Primrose are in bloom. We had a great time in nature and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and….LIVE CONNECTED!!

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY

The bottom fell out of summer and autumn announced its presence with a blast of chill air and cold rain. The week began with a high temperature of 78, but by Wednesday, highs fell to 20 degrees and dipped to 40 at night. At Long Lake we participate in a Minnesota Bumble Bee Atlas citizen science bee survey program. We conduct at least two 45-minute bee surveys each summer in the same location. During our second survey of the summer, conducted last week, we captured 21 different bumble bees of at least three different species. Many of them were female and had full pollen baskets on their legs that were bright orange from all the goldenrod. Otters have been active and were spotted on the shore as well as in the lake. We are still seeing Hummingbirds. Long Lake’s loons skedaddled (fancy science word) a couple weeks back. The lone Trumpeter Swan that stuck with us all summer has been joined by a few interlopers. Numerous baby snapping turtles have made their way to the lake. There are many, many signs of autumn to report, but we’re not ready yet, so we’re going to ignore that for a while hoping that summer comes back. The biggest news is that we have reports of large groups of two legged creatures traveling in yellow buses that will be arriving next week at Long Lake. This will be the first sighting of these adorable, inquisitive and energetic creatures since early June. Fun times are ahead. It was a great visit with nature and we want to remind you to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Valts and the members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society who visited Long Lake Conservation Center for their annual Northern Nights Star Fest event from August 20-25.

Hello this is Valts from the Minnesota Astronomical Society who visited Long Lake Conservation Center for our annual Northern Nights Star Fest event from August 20th through the 25th. The weather was a roller coaster reaching a high of 86 before the bottom fell out, dipping down to 41 degrees. We were lucky to be able to enjoy two and a half nights of clear skies and observed and imaged many different objects: double stars, clusters, galaxies, supernova remnants, and planets - Saturn and many moons, Neptune, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. Terrestrial sightings included: A group of Tree Sparrows, a Hummingbird, Wood Pewees with their “pee-oh-wee” calls, saw baby diving ducks diving at the lakeshore, a pair of Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers and heard Barred and Great Horned Owls. We flushed two wild turkeys from the tree tops. Our bumble bee expert spotted Half Black, Tri-Colored, Yellow, Brown Belted, and Common Eastern Bumble Bees on Goldenrod, Aster and Bee Balm. It was a great visit with nature and we want to remind you to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Isaac and the future teachers from MN North Itasca Class Act Pre-Education group. Thanks for becoming teachers!

Hello this is Isaac from the MN North Itasca Class Act Pre-Education group reporting from Long Lake Conservation Center from August 21st to the 22nd. The high temperature was 81 degrees Fahrenheit with 60% humidity and a south wind at 11 miles per hour. Here are some of the nature notes from our trip… We saw leopard frogs, beavers near their lodge on the lake, chicken of the woods, chanterelle mushrooms, coral tooth fungus, and another mushroom that smelled like pine. There are signs of autumn all around, including a few maples showing the earliest signs of turning color. We suspect that these are sick or stressed trees, because this is too early. The first of the sarsaparilla leaves are turning yellow. Aster and goldenrod are in bloom. We spotted a handful of bumble bees mostly on the bee balm. Long Lake staff says that the population of bumble bees is way down compared to previous years. A July bee survey found zero. A few groups of water fowl have stopped by the lake, including mergansers, buffleheads and a Great Blue Heron They aren’t staying for long, so they are only making a short pit stop on the long journey south. It was a great visit with nature and we want to remind you to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Madeline, Kenan and the adventurers from Queer Camp. Great job!

Hello this is Madeline and Kenen from Queer Camp where we got “weird in the woods” at Long Lake Conservation Center August 7th through the 10th. The high temperature was 87 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 55. During our retreat, we made new friends, played lots of camp games and explored nature. In the bog, we saw sundew, pitcher plants, labrador tea, leather leaf, a variety of sphagnum and a Ghost Pipe. Deep in the bog, Charlie Mitchell found a wood frog. There’s lots to eat in the forest right now, including Chicken of the Woods, chaga, cranberries, raspberries and blackberries. Aster is now flowering. On the lake, we saw an otter. It was a great week at camp and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Olaedo, Terri and the students from Migizi Communications in Minneapolis.

Hi, this is Terry and Oleado from MIGIZI in Minneapolis reporting from Long Lake Conservation Center for August 4th through the 7th. The weather was a muggy high of 85 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 62. We saw many blooming plants during our trip including; tansy, yarrow, black-eyed susan, pearly everlasting, goldenrod, bee balm, common milkweed and pitcher plants. Bumble bees and monarchs were enjoying the flowers and so was a crab spider. We also found ghost pipes, jack-o-lantern mushrooms, chicken of the woods and false jelly coral. On or near the lake we saw; dragonfly nymphs, damselflies, adult dragonflies, leeches, beavers, turtles, loons, otters and lily pads in bloom. In the skies there were hawks, turkey vultures, and a solitary sandpiper. A robin was seen feeding her chicks. We scared up 3 grouse on our hike to the bog. 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 Nora, Sophia and the explorers from Astronomy Camp. Great job!

Hello this is Nora and Sophia from Astronomy Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center August 2nd through the 5th. The high temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 52. Most of the camp was either cloudy or hazy with smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Fortunately, we had clear skies for one night and part of one day. We got to use the Minnesota Astronomical Society’s giant telescopes to see lots of amazing extraterrestrial objects, including the Dumbbell Nebula, Alcor and Mizar - stars in the Big Dipper - and the Cigar Galaxy. It was fun to count the craters on the moon. With the naked we saw the galactic core of the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy and two shooting stars. In the daytime, we used a solar telescope to see sun spots and solar prominences. The sun is very active right now. Terrestrial sightings included a blue jay, and two adult turkeys with a handful of poults. The poults are now about the size of a football. We encountered a garter snake in the woods. It scared the heck out of us! There are lots of deer about, including a few fawns that still have their spots. In the lake, we saw a muskrat, two loons, but not loonlets, otters and a baby sunfish. Seeing baby sunfish is happy news. After two winter kills, the DNR stocked the lake with sunfish last summer. The stocking worked! We also saw ghostpipe and ate lots of ripe raspberries. It was a great week at camp and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, LOOK UP and….LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Owen, Estella and the young adventurers from Outdoor Explorers Camp. Great job!

Hello this is Owen and Estella from Outdoor Explorers Summer Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center the week of July 27th through the 31st. The high temperature was 88 degrees Fahrenheit, the low was 49. The surface temperature of Long Lake was 73 degrees, the plants in the shade were 76 and in the sun 81. We experienced peak summer and saw soooooo many things in nature. Some of the highlights were seeing two young racoons, the season’s first baby snapping turtle and getting to eat lots and lots of ripe blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Yum! Speaking of delicious, we ate honey straight from Long Lake’s beehives. In the lake, it was fun catching leeches and tiny bullheads. Bee Balm, Goldenrod and Jewel Weed are now blooming. Many bumble bees were observed on the flowers. We also saw a doe and a fawn, a young buck, a very small red-bellied snake, a beaver on the trail, frogs, and a toad we named Fred. In the bog, we found coyote scat, saw sundews and flowering pitcher plants. Ron and LeAnn Plinske helped us capture and identify a lot of different dragonflies and damselflies. We had a great week at summer camp and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and….LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Roger Sorben from Sorben Honey and the students from Big Sandy Water Institute Camp. Sweet report!

This report is from Iilo, Caleb and the campers from Forkhorn I Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center the week of July 13-17.

The high temperature was 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the low was 45 and 0.9 inches of rain fell. The rain might mean more mosquitos soon but not for us, just lots of deer and horseflies. Hornet and wasp populations are also doing great. Either a bear or maybe raccoons got into a bag of corn. The chipmunks and squirrels had a great time with the pile of spilled corn. A mama turkey and her poults found the corn and when we walked by the poults flew away. We were a little surprised at how well they could fly, they looked so young. A spike buck also had a turn at the corn. A loon chick was seen riding on the back of an adult loon. It has only been seen riding, not swimming or diving on its own. We think it was a late hatch. Hopefully it has enough time to grow and learn everything it needs to know before it is time to migrate. The lake was also busy with muskrats, leeches, beavers and a pair of otters. Robins were seen feasting on forest tent caterpillar moths and we also saw a red-headed woodpecker. The basswood trees are in bloom and buzzing with bees and other insects enjoying the nectar. We had a great week at summer camp and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and….LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Hailey and the campers from the Big Sandy Water Institute who visited Long Lake on July 8 and 9. Great job, Hailey!

We had some of the best weather of the summer with a sunny high of 81 degree Fahrenheit and a low of 51. This has been the summer of woodchucks, also known as groundhogs or whistle pigs. There have been daily sightings of these large members of the squirrel family. This is considerably more than normal. We noticed that, unlike squirrels, they are pretty skittish and run to safety if they are spotted. Red-headed Woodpecker sightings have been more frequent as well. While we’ve seen more of these, sightings of other woodpecker species have decreased. We have noticed that there are A LOT of Goldenrod Galls. In one small section, there were 11 galls, including one stalk that had two. The fawns are growing quickly, having nearly doubled in size since birth. Their spots are still there, but beginning to fade. One of the Long Lake naturalists saw a small buck with spike antlers. Our tastebuds are happy to report the season’s first wild raspberries and strawberries - delicious summer treats. Other sightings include: blooming Water Lilies, Pointed Leaf Tree Foils are starting to bloom, doe and fawn tracks, snails, ovenbirds, osprey and woodpeckers, but not a lot of bugs. 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 Finlee, Breken and the campers from the Forkhorn Summer Camp.

Hello this is Finlee and Breken from Forkhorn Summer Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center the week of June 29th through July 3rd. July in Ojibwe is known as “Mid-Summer” or “Half-Summer” moon, marking the halfway point of summer. The high temperature was a very summerlike 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with a comfortable low temperature of 56. The woods and waters are at their peak with all things blooming, and bursting with life. Our group heard, but didn’t see a Barred Owl. We encountered a Painted Turtle who found its way into the chef’s garden where it was trapped. It was likely a mama looking to lay her eggs, so we let her out to complete her mission.The big news was that we found the first Monarch Caterpillar of the season. It was a big one. That’s about two weeks later than last year. Our observation is that there haven’t been as many Monarchs this year as previous years. We noticed that there are very few mosquitos, which is nice, but we wonder why. The wood ticks and deer and horse flies, on the other hand, are plentiful. Our group saw and heard common loons on the lake, an unidentified LARGE gray moth, Blue Birds, a Cooper’s Hawk flying overhead, a large Leopard frog, garter snakes, and a bunch of red and grey squirrels at the bird feeders. We named the largest grey squirrel “Big Chungus.” There are cocoons everywhere, and hornet nests are springing up quickly and in lots of places. One of the highlights of the camp was encountering a fawn during a nature hike. It stopped and stared at us for a few moments before running away. Pretty cool. We had a great week at summer camp and want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Isaac and the students and group leaders from the Church of St. Peter Fellowship of the Keys retreat.

The weather was a rollercoaster. We arrived with temperatures in the 90s, had one perfect day of summer weather, and then it turned cold and rainy…very rainy. The DNR lake level gauge rose from 1.5 feet a week ago to 1.64. That’s a big gain in a short amount of time. There is lots to see in the woods and waters, including yarrow in bloom, dwarf red blackberry fruit is ripe, woodchuck families are roaming campus, and Redheaded woodpeckers were seen. At least three fawns were seen on campus, including one that looked freshly born. A Long Lake naturalist saw a female Merganser accidentally fly into the lake’s pair of loons who were resting for the evening. The loons didn’t like it one bit, diving under the water and attacking it from below. The Merganser flew away unharmed. We had a great retreat, made lots of new friends and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Cal, Kanton and the campers Forkhorn I firearm safety training camp at LLCC June 8-11, 2025.

Hello this is Cal and Kanton from Forkhorn Summer Camp at Long Lake Conservation Center the week of June 15th through the 19th. The high temperature was 81 degrees fahrenheit, the low temperature was 49. There were several sightings on campus of a doe followed closely by her fawn. We saw a painted turtle laying eggs and a large snapping turtle in the middle of campus that we thought was searching for a good place to lay hers. We noticed while we were canoeing that there were lots of minnows near the beaver lodge. One loon was swimming on the lake, we looked closely but did not see a chick. At the far end of the lake, the swans are still around but no young have been seen. We did see a turkey with so many chicks running around her we couldn’t get a good count. There are chipmunks everywhere! Woodchuck heads were seen sticking out of their den. Monarch butterflies were spotted but no eggs or caterpillars yet. The flowers in bloom were wild rose, blackberries, blue flag iris and oxeye daisy. We had a great week at summer camp and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Zoey, Layton and the campers and parents from Outdoor Explorers Family Camp. FIRST CAMP OF THE SUMMER!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on June 8th through the 11th, the cold and damp weather turned to sunny and warm with a low temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit and high of 77. There were baby critters about, including a baby beaver swimming on the lake and a few tiny baby chipmunks on campus. We noticed that the chipmunks were unusually friendly, approaching to within a few feet of us. One of the highlights of the trip was learning about dragonflies and damselflies from Ron and Leann Plinske (Plin-ski). We netted, examined and released more than 20 different dragonflies and one damselfly. Most of the dragonflies were Chalk-fronted Corporals and Dot-tailed Whiteface dragonflies. While we were catching dragonflies, some in our group were collecting Forest Tent Caterpillars, also known as Army Worms. There were lots and lots of them. The baby birds should have plenty to eat. In the bog, Black Spruce trees are budding, there are still lots of Pink Lady’s Slippers, and new flowers are popping up on the Pitcher Plants. Most of the flowers are closed, but a few are open. We also saw a Garter Snake on the edge of the bog. On campus, we saw two woodchucks, a Painted turtle in the garden, and a wide variety of birds on the feeders, including woodpeckers and male and female Goldfinches. We also saw Leopard Frogs on the beach, Monarch and Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Spittlebugs. In the lake, we saw a Snapping Turtle, Trumpeter Swans, a Canada Goose and found the Loon nest near the beaver lodge. Mom was sitting on the nest, crouching down low to hide, and protect the eggs if necessary. Our group went to a pollinator field to count bumblebees, but in a half an hour of searching, we only found one. The recent cold weather and small amount of flowers is probably the reason. We had a great time exploring nature with our family and new friends and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, and LIVE CONNECTED!!

This report is brought to you by Anna, Alivia and the students from Madison Elementary in Blaine. Great job. Have an adventurous summer!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on June 2nd and 3rd, we dodged the stormy weather with a hazy and smoky high temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Pink Lady’s Slipper flowers are still blooming in the bog while the Round-leaved Sundew plants are just coming up. Our group saw lots of dragonflies, but not too many mosquitos. There has been an invasion of Forest Tent Caterpillars and we found too many wood ticks to count. During our lake hike, we heard an Indigo Bunting and an Ovenbird but did not see either one of them. We saw a baby beaver on the lake. A Long Lake Naturalist saw a mama snapping turtle laying eggs on a sandy hill. It’s the beginning of egg-laying season, so be on the lookout and help them cross the street - if you can do so safely. Our group experienced two first-of-the-year sightings: the Canada Tiger Swallowtail and Monarch butterflies. Welcome back butterflies! We noticed lots of pollen drifted from the trees and gathered along the trail edges and in the lake. At night, we heard the Loons calling loudly. Hopefully, there will be loonlets soon. We noticed many Common Milkweed plants, but no blooms yet, and saw Oyster mushrooms growing on a dead oak tree. The Blue Fage Iris is flowering. We had a great end-of-the-year nature field trip and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, ENJOY SUMMER VACATION and LIVE CONNECTED!! School’s out for summer.

This report is brought to you by Pete, Lewis and the students from Highland Catholic School in St. Paul. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 28th through the 30th, sunny skies ruled the day, but on Friday you could hardly tell because haze from the wildfires filled the sky. The high temperature was 76 and the low was 44. One of the highlights of the trip was finding a GINORMOUS water bug during Lake Bottom Organisms. The beast was just shy of seven inches long and nearly spanned the entire bottom of a five gallon bucket. We named it Gurt of the Lake. During our orienteering race, someone in our group saw a fawn. A good number of Pink Lady’s Slippers are blooming in the bog. Near one of the Lady’s Slippers we found a dead muskrat. The bog is not a natural habitat for muskrats, so our guess is that a bird of prey - probably an owl - killed it on the lake and carried it into the bog to eat. There’s plenty of poison ivy in the woods, but the mosquitoes and ticks were surprisingly not too bad. On the feeders, we observed a Red-headed Woodpecker, House Finch, Chickadees, Goldfinch, sparrows and, of course, red and gray squirrels. Our group also saw a hummingbird flying overhead and a Red Velvet Mite on a path. A Long Lake Naturalist reported seeing a Painted Turtle laying her eggs. 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 Genevieve, Vanaya and the students from Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts in Anoka. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 21st and 23rd, the sun finally came out and we had near perfect spring weather with high temperatures of 65 degrees and a low of 31. The plants in the bog loved the sunshine. The Labrador Tea plants are budding, bog laurel is flowering, and Cottongrass now has cotton. Mariana and others thought the Cottongrass looked like a Lorax tree. One of the highlights was seeing the Pink Lady’s Slipper in the bog. They haven’t flowered yet, but it could any day now. There were a lot, so it looks like it will be a good year for Lady’s Slippers. Our group also saw a muskrat, heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming, saw Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Orioles, House Finches, Chickadees and a chipmunk and Tree Swallow sharing seeds on the same small feeder. Interspecies sharing…pretty cool. 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 graduating seniors Schnee, Riley, L, and Alyssa, as well as the students from New Century Academy in Hutchinson. Great job! Congratulations and good luck!

Hi, this is Schnee and the graduating seniors from New Century Academy in Hutchinson. During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 19th through the 21st, it was cold and windy with a bit of sleet, but it didn’t stop us from exploring nature. The bog was the place to be with Pitcher Plants beginning to send up their flowers, and Pink Lady’s Slippers about to bloom. Our group also heard Barred Owls calling back and forth to each other. At the feeders, we saw male and female Purple Finches, Goldfinches, Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and very fat and friendly red and gray squirrels. One of the Long Lake Naturalists reported seeing male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, hummingbirds, and a Red-headed Woodpecker eating black sunflower seeds last night. Is that normal? A black bear found the Long Lake dumpster last night and made a big mess. The lake level rose to 1.68 feet at our DNR lake gauge site, up from 1.65 since our last report on May 16, and up more than a half inch since May 8th. 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 Emma, Jackson and the students from Hamilton Elementary in Coon Rapids. Good job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 19th and 20th, the winds were howling with gusts up to 40 miles per hour which made the high temperature of 53 feel pretty darn chilly. During our Minnesota Invertebrate Investigations class we found ten fire ants, ten bullet ants, nine worms, three isopods, 18 centipedes, one millipede, three slug bugs, 2 earwigs, a rolly polly, a caterpillar, a fly, and a larva of some kind. We also found more than 10 mosquitos, a few leopard frogs, and a snail. Abby reported that one of the worms looked purple when she put it inside her “adventure cage”, also known as a collection dish. We noticed that the pinecones are budding and that they look like berries. In the very wet and boggy bog, the tamaracks are almost entirely leafed out. We saw a few birds braving the wind, including American Robins, Goldfinches and a Red-bellied Woodpecker that we thought looked like it had a red mohawk. Despite the wind, we were blown away by nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Sawyer, Camila and the students from Cold Spring Elementary. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 15th and 16th, the temperatures fell and so did lots and lots of rain. The high temperature was only 50 degrees on Friday, almost 30 degrees colder than Thursday. We had 1.75 inches of rain in total. Before the rain began, our group measured the lake level at 1.62 feet. After heavy, steady rains, the lake rose to 1.65 feet. In all, the lake has risen .32 inches since the beginning of May. One interesting observation was foam forming at the base of trees during the rain. Long Lake staff said this natural phenomenon is called stemflow mixing. This is when the rain runs down the trunk of a tree, collecting dust, salt and other stuff in the bark, causing it to foam or froth. Our group had a pair of unexpectedly close encounters with critters. During a hike, a Red-winged blackbird swooped at a phone. It didn’t like it for some reason. Maybe it was reminding us to put the phone away and pay attention to nature. Mr. Kothrade and some adults reported that a raccoon walked right between where they were sitting and the campfire. They said it freaked them out a little. We were excited to encounter a Blue-spotted Salamander in the woods. Trumpeter Swans were scarce during our trip, and only a single Common Loon was seen, making us wonder if we’ll be seeing baby loons and swans soon. Our group imitated the song of a male Bluebird and - surprisingly - it actually sang back. A little rain couldn’t stop us from exploring, and we and the Red-wing blackbirds want to remind everyone to put your phones away, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Ben, Seth, Hayley, Lincoln and the students from Central Elementary School in Norwood Young America. Nice job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 12th through the 14th, summer arrived early with a high temperature of 86 and a low of 56. The warm weather woke up the mosquitos who swarmed to life yesterday. Kayley reported that they seemed particularly large and hungry. On a happier note, Orioles and Bluebirds returned to the campus for the first time this spring, but still no hummingbirds. We also heard a Barred Owl hooting, turkeys gobbling and Ovenbirds singing. We also enjoyed seeing Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-winged blackbirds and a Ruffed grouse. In the woods, we saw a few deer that looked plump and happy, a tussock moth caterpillar wiggling on a path and a leopard frog, baby crawfish and dragonfly larva on the shore of the lake. Sydney watched a water bug eat the face off of a dragonfly larva. Gross, but cool. Almost everyone in our group had a tick on them. It’s definitely tick check season. 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 Alaina, Ava, Trinity and the students from Minnewaska Area Elementary in Glenwood.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 7th through the 9th, we experienced near perfect spring weather with a high temperature of 70 and a low of 30. It was a good week for bird watching. Our group saw Goldfinches, male and female House Finches, Nashville Warblers, Blue-winged Teals and Red-headed Woodpeckers. The saga of the dead Trumpeter Swan and its grieving mate continues. Surprisingly, no scavengers have claimed the body of the dead swan. After more than a week and a half, the grieving mate still spends a good part of the day near the body. The other swans on the lake have come to visit, having a swan intervention, perhaps. We are curious how long the grieving swan will remain by its dead mate. The two resident Common Loons were still seen fishing together. This means they are either not yet on the nest, or they are both males and Long Lake is a bachelor lake again this year. In other sightings, our group observed a beaver, muskrat, otters, painted and snapping turtles, a Tussock moth caterpillar, chipmunks, gophers, red and gray squirrels, and grey tree frogs sunning themselves in a tree. The grass is turning green, and flowers are blooming, including Marsh Marigolds, Wood Anemones, Hairy Woodrush, and Serviceberries. The lake level is a relatively low 1.66 feet at Long Lake’s DNR depth gauge. 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 Roland, Alyssa and the students from Battle Lake Elementary and Wesley, Soren and the students from Good Shepherd School in Golden Valley.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 5th through the 7th, we experienced the first 70 and 80 degree temperatures of the season. We witnessed a squirrel tussle at the feeder between a grey squirrel and a red squirrel. The grey squirrel chased the red squirrel off but red did not give up, he snuck up behind grey and either pulled the hair on his tail or bit his tail, launching grey off the feeder. Red was the winner winner bird seed dinner! All the trees and budding, growing their leaves for the summer. We also saw fiddleheads of many different kinds of ferns, and beautiful yellow Marsh Marigolds. Serviceberry trees are in bloom and we found purple Hepatica flowers in the grass. One of the highlights was seeing the beavers in the lake as well as both Snapping and Painted turtles. In the woods, the vernal ponds were teeming with mosquito larva, foreshadowing a ferocious mosquito season. We also saw a pair of Common Loons fishing near the beach and a handful of garter snakes. 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 Clare and the students from Saints Peter and Paul School in Richmond.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 5th and 6th, we had glorious summerlike weather with the first 80 degree temperature since September 27, 2024. During our sunset canoe trip, we saw the season’s first snapping turtle, common loons and the dead Trumpeter Swan on the lake. Marsh Marigolds are blooming and we saw lots of white flowers in the forest. We also saw a garter snake in the woods, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, deer and red squirrels. Spring is a perfect time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, check for ticks and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Hazel, Carson, Taylor and the students from Crooked Lake Elementary School in Andover. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on April 30th through May 2nd, we had a mix of sun and a steady rain that dropped almost one inch of rain. The warmer temperatures and rain have started to make the forest green. Our group saw Marsh Marigold flower buds in the lag near the bog, fuzzy fiddle ferns unfurling, and raspberries leafing out. The rain made the bog extra squishy and wet. On Wednesday, we discovered that one of the Trumpeter Swans on the lake had died. His body is on the south shore of the lake. We don’t know how it met its fate. It could have been illness, accident, natural causes or MURDER. We learned that, though rare, swans do fight and that these fights can be fatal. The dead swan’s mate has been staying close to the body for the past two days. It’s kind of sad. In happier bird notes, one group saw a large white and grey bird fly silently in the woods near the bog. We think it might have been a Snowy Owl. We also saw Canada Geese, a pair of Common Loons, Woodpeckers, a Solitary Sandpiper and heard the drumming of a Ruffed Grouse. Other sightings included Wooly Bear Caterpillars, Dragonflies near the bog, a field mouse near the Dining Hall, many spiders near our wilderness meal campfire in the woods, lots and lots of painted turtles, a centipede on a log, a beaver, muskrat, turkeys, deer, red and gray squirrels, leeches, a school of fish and, unfortunately soooo many wood ticks. It was a great week in nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, check for ticks and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by De'onni, Royce, Nora and the students from Mississippi Elementary in Coon Rapids.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on April 28th through the 30th, we dodged thunderstorms on Monday, but rebounded with beautiful, sunny spring weather. One of the highlights of our trip was getting to see the beavers on the lake. This morning we found a half-chewed birch tree near the beach and learned that beavers need to gnaw on trees or their teeth will continue to grow, potentially killing them. Our group thought of some fun names for the beaver, but our favorite is Woody the Woodchopper. We got about two feet away from a red squirrel eating seeds on a log near the dining hall. It didn’t seem afraid of us at all, but finally scurried up a tree. We heard lots of singing birds, including the LOUD trumpet of the swans. One of our theories is that the swans were warning each about a nearby hawk. On the lake, we saw Common Loons, Blue-winged Teals and other ducks, and a Kingfisher diving for fish near the beach. Monday's rain brought out all the Robins and a large flock of White-throated Sparrows. In the woods we saw Hepatica blooming and multiple garter snakes. One person saw a dragonfly on the way to the bog, and a very well camouflaged spider on a tree. We saw signs of deer, including lots of scat that looked like coffee beans and enjoyed the beautiful songs of the frogs singing in the marsh. Our group saw jelly fungus growing on a branch and was surprised to learn that some are edible. No thanks. 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 Addison, Lily, Logan and the students from Sand Creek Elementary in Minneapolis.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on April 23rd through THE 25th, we had a high temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 32. Our trip was filled with first-of-the-year sightings. Team Blue saw the first three dragonflies of the season. We didn’t get a great look at them, but we think they are probably Common Green Darners. Team Yellow saw the first mosquito. Hopefully the dragonflies found and ate it. Unfortunately, we also had the first woodtick of the season. Team Red saw a beaver, flowers, and turkey vultures. All groups heard the nearly constant drumming of Ruffed Grouse. Seeing a beaver was noteworthy because Long Lake staff told us that beavers sightings were rare last year. The Tamarack tree buds are turning green in the bog, a chaperone heard turkeys and Team Green saw what they think was a Wooly Bear Caterpillar. We saw a lot of different birds, including an Osprey flying over the lake. In the lake, we saw Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese, a pair of Common Loons, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards and Wood Ducks. We are still seeing lots of Juncos. The birds and frogs filled campus with their beautiful songs. Nature is bursting with life and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Bryn, Nolan and the students from Benilde St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park.

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on April 16th and 17th, we had a high temperature of 61 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 32. Nature is bursting to life in every corner. One of the highlights of our trip was seeing and hearing Woodcocks, also known as “Timberdoodles.” We heard their “Beep” song before we saw them on the ground and in the air. These cool little birds were not seen dancing in the sky, but that should be happening soon. Other flying critters that we observed were Wood Ducks flying by the lake, and trumpeter swans and a Common Loon on the lake. It was notable that the loon was by itself. We are wondering if the loon’s mate is already on the nest. While canoeing, we saw a leech in the water.

In the woods, our group heard Ruffed Grouse drumming and saw two butterflies. We didn’t get a close enough look to identify what kind they were. Aspen buds are HUGE and fuzzy and we saw a garter snake. Garter snakes were seen near the hibernaculum on campus, but it was interesting to see one deeper in the woods. They seem to be venturing out into their summer habitat. Hopefully that means it’s the end of the cold weather for the season. It was a beautiful spring week in nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Henry and the students from St. Joseph Catholic School in Grand Rapids, and Maria from St. Henry’s School in Perham and Thomas and Josie from St. Stephen in Anoka

The high temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit, the low was 32 and we had some light rain during our trip. We are happy to report that Long Lake is 100% ice free, while the water was still too cold for canoeing class we did see trumpeter swans, hooded mergansers, mallards, ring-necked ducks and Canada geese enjoying the water. A belted kingfisher was perched near the lake looking for a meal. Did you know belted kingfishers nest in burrows? The burrows can be 3-6 feet long! In the forest, barred owls were heard calling and grouse were heard drumming. Several chipmunks were seen and one raccoon was hoping for a nap in the bog boot shed but made its way into the forest once it realized the shed had lots of human visitors. The smell of skunk was in the air and the pussy willows are in bloom. Red-winged blackbirds were seen at Long Lake for the first time this year. When the sun is shining, the area near the hibernacula is very busy, once we counted 9 garter snakes! We had a muddy great time exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

PHENOLOGY FRIDAY – TIMBERDOODLE EDITION

Breaking news! It snowed, but let’s not focus on that little bit of April foolishness. Instead, let’s delve into a deeper and more important topic: Timberdoodles. First of all, let’s take a moment to admire the awesomeness of this name. It sounds like a Timberwolf and Poodle hybrid that might be the latest canine trend in the foofy suburbs of a city near you. Nope! It’s a bird. A really, really cool bird that made its return to Long Lake this week. Naturalist Katie Murphy captured a video of it. Timberdoodle is the colloquial name for the American Woodcock. These petite birds are hard to spot because they are superb at camouflage. When you do see them, it’s nearly impossible to take your eyes off of them. They are round and brown with a log beak for eating worms and insects – and THEY LOVE TO DANCE. The males dance in the air, zigzagging from heights of up to 300 feet, singing or “peenting” the entire time, eventually landing near a female. On the ground they strut their stuff, wiggling their hind ends. It’s quite a show. These amazing dances typically occur at dusk and are a must-see for anybody who loves birds, or just likes to laugh at the absurd lengths the male of most species will go to get attract a mate. The video shows our visiting Timberdoodle practicing his moves, readying for his spotlight later this spring. The American Woodcock, or Timberdoodle, are also known as Chochas Americanas in Spanish – also a really cool name. Whatever you call them, these little birds are a fascinating, funny and another reason to unplug, get outside and live connected!

It’s been a spring like week with a high temperature of 56 degrees and a low of 19. Above freezing days and below freezing nights are ideal for maple tapping. The sap is flowing at 2-4 gallons per day. The hydrometer told us that our sap was at about 2% sugar. This is pretty typical for our smaller silver maples, but big sugar maples can be close to 5%. We have seen the return on American Robins in good numbers, and have heard lots of Canada Geese, Sandhill Cranes, Trumpeter Swans overhead. Though we haven’t seen any Red-winged Blackbirds in our marsh, we have observed them in the area. Naturalist Marla Richter found a Water Boatman on a campus path. The Garter Snakes have emerged from their hibernaculum! They are sticking very close to the entrance to soak up the midday sun and heading back in at night. That’s a good sign that we’ve turned the weather corner. We’ve seen Red Squirrels and Chipmunks on campus, plus the deer have been very active. There have been reports of Black Bears coming out of hibernation in the area, but we have not seen any. Unfortunately, there have been reports of ticks, so it’s officially the beginning of “Tick Check Season.” Red-tailed and other hawk species have been observed hunting in nearby fields and there seems to be a lot of Bald Eagles migrating through the region now. One of the highlights for us was Naturalist Katie Murphy finding what we believe to be bobcat tracks in the bog. Very cool. We have open water on the edge of the lake and dark ice everywhere. Ice out is fast approaching! It’s an exciting time of transition in nature. Get out and enjoy it. If you can, bring a kid!

This report is brought to you by Isaac, Kate and the students from St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School in Brainerd

The high temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 21. At the bird feeders we saw grey squirrels and red squirrels. Also, a male goldfinch, nuthatches, chickadees, and a female downy woodpecker. The water dish at the feeder area was popular with the finches and the squirrels. Long Lake staff said that they have not seen birds at the water dish very often this winter. We are not sure if the small flock of finches were house finch or purple finch. The lichen on the trees looked like bright pops of color in the forest. Trees with buds were seen and so were spiders in the dead leaves. Crows were heard calling from the treetops. We noticed fresh pileated woodpecker holes low on the trees, they can really destroy a tree! 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 the Long Lake staff. It's spring break at Long Lake. No schools this week.

This report is brought to you by Soeler, Iselle and the students from Sejong Academy in St. Paul!

The weather was all over the place with a high of 53 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 13. We had sunshine, rain, snow and wind! On the lake we saw slush on top of the frozen lake, deer tracks frozen into the lake ice, an otter hole with aquatic vegetation on the ice around the hole and swans flying overhead. Long Lake currently has 17 to 18 inches of ice. In the forest we tapped maple trees, no sap is running yet. We saw green hepatica leaves, maple trees with buds, two blue jays and granular snow that reminded us of sugar or salt. In the night sky we saw Jupiter and the moons of Jupiter. We also saw our moon in the first quarter phase, this moon phase is halfway between a new moon and a full moon. The part we see will be getting bigger from now until the full moon on March 14th. On this date there will also be a total lunar eclipse. The earth will be directly between the sun and the moon. The moon will look red because of the earth’s atmosphere. Check it out on Friday night after midnight and remember to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Indica, Steven, Haylie, Damara, Ronnie, Max and the students from Coulee Connections in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Great job!

During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center from February 24th through the 27th, we had a high temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit, the warmest it’s been since October 19th. Much of the snow has melted and some of the trails have turned into a slushy soup. Long Lake’s otters liked the warm weather and popped out of a hole in the middle of the lake to enjoy the sun. It’s the first otter sighting in many months. A trail camera was set up near its hole. The otter looked healthy and strong. While we were exploring near the otter’s hole our group saw a star-nosed mole scurrying across the lake and found a dead one close by. During a hike to an inactive beaver lodge we noticed a hole dug on the top. It looked like it might have been dug by a fox. We uncovered a small plant underneath the snow and were surprised that it had green leaves. Our group noticed two newly chopped woodpecker holes, and saw lots of deer scat, and even some old grouse scat. The squirrels ruled the day at the bird feeders. We tried to count them all, but they were too busy. A few were even chasing each other. Our guess is that there were close to 20 chunky squirrels. We saw a House Finch, Chickadee, Nuthatches and a Red-bellied woodpecker. An adult in another group said she heard a coyote calling at night. At dinner, a small herd of deer came snack on what seeds the squirrels and birds had left behind. We think the Vikings are better than the Packers. It’s a great time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is from Emma and the students from Sacred Heart School in Freeport and Daphne and the students from St. Mary Melrose. Great job, young explorers!

During our trip from February 19th through the 21st, the deep freeze finally let up and we had a high temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The midday sun felt great, but it was still plenty cold at night, dropping to 6 below zero. The warmer weather brought out the critters, especially to the bird feeders. In addition to Hairy, Downy, Pileated and Red-bellied woodpeckers, Chickadees and Nuthatches were “chilling near the bird seed”, and there was a large flock of Common Redpolls. We observed that the males had a rosy red patch on their breast, but the females did not. Long Lake told us that this is the first sighting of Redpolls this winter. In the powdery snow, we saw tracks everywhere. There were many deer tracks, and a deer bed, plus lots of mouse tracks. On our snowshoe adventure, we found birch mushrooms and enjoyed watching the acrobatic squirrels. Chickadees and other birds were singing loudly. It was nice to hear their songs. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing a herd of 11 deer come to eat seeds. One even ate a leftover pancake. It was so cute. Temperatures are on the rise and days are getting longer. Spring is on the way. It’s a great time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Aubrey, Brooklyn and the students from Paynesville Elementary. Nice job, young explorers!

During our trip from February 12th through the 14th the low temperature was 20 below zero and the high was 9. The critters were mostly hunkered down in the cold, but there were still signs of spring to be seen and heard. During a sunrise walk to the beach, Harmony heard a chorus of spring Chickadee songs. On that same walk, she found a dead mouse, frozen in the snow. We suspect that it either died from accidentally being stepped on, or it wandered too far from the warmth and froze to death. It was probably not the victim of an owl or a predator, because they wouldn’t have left it behind. Some lucky scavenger will find it and enjoy a mousesicle for supper. Joey found dog, wolf or coyote tracks that led up to a log and a little jump from that log were more tracks. Harmony and Haily saw mouse tracks in the woods near the thicket. We noticed that it’s easy to spot bird nests in the winter. Our group saw deers beds, Nora spotted deer tracks, there was deer scat everywhere and Selena and Clayton both saw a bunch of deer out of the window. Naturalist Julia saw three deer behind the dining hall. She said that one of them stomped on another deer while it was eating. Dylan, Macey and Rheagan found Goldenrod Galls in the woods and ate the grubs they found inside. The competition for seeds at the bird feeders was fierce. We saw a squirrel nearly run over a bird to get to the seeds. 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 Jareth and the students from St Elizabeth Ann Seaton in St. Cloud, Audrey and the students from St. Mary Help of Christians in St. Augusta and Bo and the students from St. Andrew in Elk River. Great job!

The weather was downright cold with lows dropping to minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit with a high of 14. Thankfully, the winds were calm and the cold didn’t stop us from exploring nature. The weekend’s fresh, powdery snow made for great cross country skiing and snowshoe adventures where we saw a number of deer beds. As our group was approaching a stand of birches, we flushed a deer, and found tracks leading to and from the bed. We also found plenty of “Cocoa puffs and lemon snow.” The bird feeders were active during the “warmth” of midday with sightings of male Red-bellied, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and a few squirrels. It’s notable that we only saw a few squirrels. Not even the promise of an easy meal of seeds was enough to get them to come out from their warm nests. Our group found mouse tracks that led to a hole under the snow. We saw lots of rabbit tracks and found an acorn on top of the snow. We heard one woodpecker drumming. Though we saw Chickadees and Nuthatches, we didn’t hear them singing their spring mating calls. It must be too cold for them to sing. It was a crisp, but beautiful week in nature and we want to remind everyone that, no matter the weather, it’s always a great time to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Kendy, Niyah and the students from Cohasset Elementary and Josia from Bigfork Elementary. They visited LLCC from Feb. 6-7, 2025. It was sooooo cold that the critters decided to stay hunkered down for almost the entire trip. As the schools were getting ready to leave the feeders were invaded by squirrels, and ALL the birds.

The low temperature was minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit and the high was 16 degrees. It was very windy on the first day of our trip, the powdery snow in the air allowed us to see the wind swirling and rising and then quickly falling around us. The fresh snow made it look like nobody had ever walked here before. On Friday we woke up to a nice sunny winter day with low winds. Sometimes phenology is as much about what you don’t see as what you do. We did not see much wildlife; just a few birds at the feeders and in the woods. Our group saw Nuthatches, a red-bellied woodpecker and a pileated woodpecker, a chickadee searching for food in a tree and some kind of finch we could not identify. We think the cold weather is keeping the squirrels in their dens. We did see deer tracks, a deer bedding spot and heard the drumming of a woodpecker. Otherwise, most of the critters stayed in bed. Wish you were here Mr. Latimer, see you soon! 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 Leah, Lola and the students from Cannon River STEM in Faribault. Great job!

During our trip from January 29th through the 31st the low temperature was 17 degrees Fahrenheit and the high was a balmy 45 degrees, the warmest temperature since November 19th. The unseasonably warm weather seemed to wake up nature, with the birds especially enjoying the sunshine. Chickadees and woodpeckers were abundant and very active. Nuthatches have begun singing their spring songs, getting ready for mating season. Naturalist Katie found a bat that was on the move. There have been a few reports of moths in the area, so maybe the bat was able to find some food. There is only about 2-3 inches of crunchy snow left, but our group was still able to cross country ski to the other side of the lake. The ice depth was measured at 17 inches. A Pileated Woodpecker flew over the lake. In the woods we saw grouse tracks, and at night we saw Jupiter while stargazing. At dinner, a group of nine deer came for a meal of bird seed. They are looking healthy. We were able to observe them for a few minutes before something spooked them, causing them to put up their white tails and run away. 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 Pat, Damien and the students from TrekNorth High School in Bemidji.

We had a rare January thaw with a high temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 21. Signs of springs were everywhere, including Chickadees singing their spring “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger” song and woodpeckers drumming. Both of these are examples of early mating calls, also known as bird rizz. Our group sat patiently by the feeders until a Chickadee ate seeds from our hands. We spent time following tracks and found lots of deer and fox scat, deer lay downs, ruffed grouse beds with scat, mouse tracks that led to a “mouse motel” and vole tracks under the snow.

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing a flying squirrel. The interesting thing about this squirrel was that it had a purple glow under a black light. This is called biofluorescence. That’s when animals absorb light and emit it as a different color. It can be seen in many animals, including fish, amphibians, and some mammals. It was a great week in nature, we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

This report is brought to you by Mike, Colette and the students from St. Wenceslaus School in New Prague.

The weather included sunshine, large fluffy snowflakes and a 31 degree change with a low temperature of minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit and a high of 21 degrees. While snowshoeing we noticed that the snow crunched loudly and the trees were popping and cracking in the wind. We saw lots of deer tracks and trails. At the bird feeders we saw very active squirrels and we noticed that there were more birds at the feeders at breakfast and fewer birds at the feeders at dinner time. On our first night we had a visitor during Owl class, when a bat flew around the room a couple of times and then crawled back into a tiny hole near the fireplace chimney. On our 2nd night we got to see 8 deer eating together under the bird feeders. 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 Bennett, Declan and the students from Modern Montessori Charter School in Champlain.

During our trip from January 15th to 17th the low temperature was 10 degrees Fahrenheit and the high was 34. With all the new snow for our trip we got to see and experience many things. There were LOTS of deer tracks going back and forth. Many were dragging their hooves in the snow. Some of the deer tracks we identified as a buck. We also spotted little rodent tracks, it was hopping along with its tail dragging behind it, and then we saw where it dove into the snow in it’s tunnel. The squirrels have been running all over getting food and we have been hearing and seeing chickadees calling and eating at the feeder. We went out onto the lake in our snowshoes and brushed away the snow to look at the ice, where we found some frozen plants. While we were out there we saw a Snow-nado! A few big gusts of wind were lifting the powdery snow and swirling it around. There have also been beautiful sunrises and sunsets while we were here, as well as some clear night sky to see several planets. A few of us spotted some smaller things, like some snow flies. They are small insects without wings and they were walking on the snow. On a hike one of us found a stick that had these shriveled mushrooms on it. It turns out they were Amber Jelly roll mushrooms, a type of jelly fungus. We put a few of them in water to watch them expand. 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 Dylan, Ashlyn and the students from Bertha-Hewitt Elementary.

During our trip from January 9th to January 10th the low temp was 15 degrees Fahrenheit and the high was 28 degrees. Guess what happened while we were at Long Lake? IT SNOWED!! We got to enjoy a beautiful, gentle snowfall while we were out on the lake playing games and exploring. We ended up getting about an inch on the afternoon of the 9th. The snow mostly stopped by dinner, so not quite enough snow for snowshoeing. Out on the ice we all got to hear it singing, with low deep rumbles sounding out across the lake. Sometimes it even came close enough to feel it underfoot. If we brushed away the snow the ice was clear and dark underneath. We were competing to see who could find the biggest air bubble under the ice, and were admiring the beauty of the cracks running across the lake. On our hikes around campus we noticed that the lichen really stood out on the trees, so we stopped for a closer look. We spotted a few tracks frozen into the icy patches and were trying to figure out if they were large dog tracks or wolf. There was also a small tree that was splintered by the trail in a very strange way, and we could not figure out what did it. Potential culprits are: woodpecker, deer, or people with a machine. And finally from the dining hall we watched the squirrels absolutely ATTACKING the bird feeders and digging in their winter staches trying to get more food. We had a great time exploring nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

Happy New Year! This report is brought to you by Wakan, Shawn and the students from Migizi in Minneapolis, reporting from Long Lake for Jan. 2-4, 2025.

During our trip from January 2nd through the 4th, winter reasserted itself with a blast of sun, wind, cold and snow. The low temp was -9 degrees Fahrenheit and the high was 14. The clear skies made for good stargazing. There was a waxing crescent moon that cast very little light, meaning lots of stars were out, as well as Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. After last week’s melt, the fresh dusting of snow made for easy tracking. We saw lots of mammal prints scurrying around logs in the forest. The lake was singing loudly last night during our night hike. Last week, a cottontail rabbit was spotted on campus, but the cold has made even the heartiest hunker down. We’ve spotted only a handful of squirrels, including an angry red squirrel, and a few of the usual assortment of winter birds, including nuthatches, chickadees, Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers. It’s notable that the Red-breasted Nuthatches are back. We flushed a Ruffed Grouse on our walk. The ice on Long Lake is now 11 inches thick. It’s deep winter, but there’s never a bad time to explore nature. We want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!

Maple leaves are turning colors, and oak trees dropping acorns. Is it a sign of an early fall or the result of stress from the drought? We've had some other interesting wildlife sightings this week, including our first baby Snapping Turtle of the season. Our otters stopped by shore to play. Fun! Garden Spiders with their spiral webs, and Woolly Aphids are abundant in the bog. Bog Rosemary is in bloom. Always a treat.