NATURE Notes
Every month there will be a new note about what to look for in the natural world during that month.
December - O Conifer, o conifer, how lovely are your branches
While conifer doesn’t have quite the festive ring to it like Christmas tree does, it plays a huge role both culturally and ecologically!
Conifers are trees that bear cones and needle/scale-like leaves that are typically evergreen, or never lose their leaves. While most conifers are evergreens, not all evergreens are conifers. In fact, some well-known plants like Boxwood, Laurel, Azalea, and Holly are all evergreens and are nothing like the festive pines we know and love for the Christmas season. On the flip side, there is at least one native conifer here in Minnesota that is not an evergreen. The Tamarack loses its flat green needles in October with the rest of the deciduous leaves, making itself a weird in-between tree, but still a conifer.
Your live Christmas trees are lumped somewhere within the evergreen conifers. While the modern tradition of Christmas trees dates back to 16th century in Germany, evergreen trees and wreaths have been important symbols to many different cultures around the world including ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. If you turn back the clock even farther these evergreen cone bearing trees have been around since the time of Pangea, around 310 million years ago.
Usually, homes will adorn different types of fir, pines, and spruce to help showcase the Christmas spirit. However, these trees are more than just a pretty face when it comes to their ecological impact.
Conifer trees are extremely vital in the habitats they reside in, Minnesota included. They can provide shelter from predators, heat, cold, wind, rain, and snow. In fact, some full-grown coniferous trees can hold more than two thousand pounds worth of snow on a single tree’s worth of branches. Cones, needles, branches, and bark can also be utilized as a food source for a variety of wildlife in the area.
These needle-bearing gentle giants have quite the list of superpowers that make them incredible additions to not only your living room for the Christmas season, but amazing to have in any environment. Thick sap, called resin, serves as a natural deterrent to a lot of pests. Most conifers are adaptable to different changes in precipitation amount, and temperatures. Meaning they can survive warm and dry weather as well as cold and wet. Just like other plants, they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into our atmosphere. With evergreen conifers though, they are hard at work purifying our air year-round. Truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Author: Kelly Bahl, Outreach Naturalist.
Conifers are trees that bear cones and needle/scale-like leaves that are typically evergreen, or never lose their leaves. While most conifers are evergreens, not all evergreens are conifers. In fact, some well-known plants like Boxwood, Laurel, Azalea, and Holly are all evergreens and are nothing like the festive pines we know and love for the Christmas season. On the flip side, there is at least one native conifer here in Minnesota that is not an evergreen. The Tamarack loses its flat green needles in October with the rest of the deciduous leaves, making itself a weird in-between tree, but still a conifer.
Your live Christmas trees are lumped somewhere within the evergreen conifers. While the modern tradition of Christmas trees dates back to 16th century in Germany, evergreen trees and wreaths have been important symbols to many different cultures around the world including ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. If you turn back the clock even farther these evergreen cone bearing trees have been around since the time of Pangea, around 310 million years ago.
Usually, homes will adorn different types of fir, pines, and spruce to help showcase the Christmas spirit. However, these trees are more than just a pretty face when it comes to their ecological impact.
Conifer trees are extremely vital in the habitats they reside in, Minnesota included. They can provide shelter from predators, heat, cold, wind, rain, and snow. In fact, some full-grown coniferous trees can hold more than two thousand pounds worth of snow on a single tree’s worth of branches. Cones, needles, branches, and bark can also be utilized as a food source for a variety of wildlife in the area.
These needle-bearing gentle giants have quite the list of superpowers that make them incredible additions to not only your living room for the Christmas season, but amazing to have in any environment. Thick sap, called resin, serves as a natural deterrent to a lot of pests. Most conifers are adaptable to different changes in precipitation amount, and temperatures. Meaning they can survive warm and dry weather as well as cold and wet. Just like other plants, they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into our atmosphere. With evergreen conifers though, they are hard at work purifying our air year-round. Truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Author: Kelly Bahl, Outreach Naturalist.
Previous nature notes
2024 NATURE NOTES
January - el niño
Many Minnesotans have been saying that winter is looking pretty different this year. For many, our lack of a white Christmas prompted folks to start wondering just what was happening with our weather. After all we already had a dry, hot summer, so why are we also having a dry winter? We can credit this to a climate pattern known as El Niño which causes changes in currents and the jet stream.
Depending on where you are on Earth, your climate and weather are subject to different air and ocean currents that circulate the globe. In a typical year, the trade winds, which are located along the equator, flow over the ocean and move warmer water west, away from South America and towards Asia. This shift of warmer water causes an event called upwelling, where cold water rises upward to replace the, now absent, warmer water. Upwelling events in the ocean help cycle nutrients from the bottom of the ocean closer to the surface. These areas of upwelling have greater biological diversity and higher populations of fish, zooplankton, and phytoplankton.
El Niño years are not typical years. El Niño refers to a global pattern of weather that weakens the trade winds and breaks the normal cycles of upwelling. When trade winds weaken, the warmer water that was normally pushed west, now moves east towards the west coast of the United States. This halts the usual cycles of upwelling that would normally occur along the coast and shifts another air current, the Pacific Jet Stream, south. Jet streams are very strong bands of wind located in the upper atmosphere that blow at very high speeds. The location of the jet stream influences areas of high and low pressure on the ground which can create different weather patterns. For example, Polar Vortexes are formed when the Polar Jet Stream shifts south.
During an El Niño period, because the Pacific Jet Stream shifts, places in the American Southwest which are typically very dry and desert-like, become floodplains. Areas in the Northern United States which typically receive more rain and relatively mild summers will experience dry, hot summers like we did in Minnesota this year. This dry weather pattern continues into the winter months with the northern United States experiencing significantly less snowfall.
El Niño doesn’t last forever though. On average, El Niño episodes last for about 9-12 months, but this climate pattern can sometimes push on for longer. We can expect an El Niño episode to occur about every 2-7 years. Our last El Niño episode lasted from late 2018 to mid-2019.
Author: Ryen Nielsen – Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Depending on where you are on Earth, your climate and weather are subject to different air and ocean currents that circulate the globe. In a typical year, the trade winds, which are located along the equator, flow over the ocean and move warmer water west, away from South America and towards Asia. This shift of warmer water causes an event called upwelling, where cold water rises upward to replace the, now absent, warmer water. Upwelling events in the ocean help cycle nutrients from the bottom of the ocean closer to the surface. These areas of upwelling have greater biological diversity and higher populations of fish, zooplankton, and phytoplankton.
El Niño years are not typical years. El Niño refers to a global pattern of weather that weakens the trade winds and breaks the normal cycles of upwelling. When trade winds weaken, the warmer water that was normally pushed west, now moves east towards the west coast of the United States. This halts the usual cycles of upwelling that would normally occur along the coast and shifts another air current, the Pacific Jet Stream, south. Jet streams are very strong bands of wind located in the upper atmosphere that blow at very high speeds. The location of the jet stream influences areas of high and low pressure on the ground which can create different weather patterns. For example, Polar Vortexes are formed when the Polar Jet Stream shifts south.
During an El Niño period, because the Pacific Jet Stream shifts, places in the American Southwest which are typically very dry and desert-like, become floodplains. Areas in the Northern United States which typically receive more rain and relatively mild summers will experience dry, hot summers like we did in Minnesota this year. This dry weather pattern continues into the winter months with the northern United States experiencing significantly less snowfall.
El Niño doesn’t last forever though. On average, El Niño episodes last for about 9-12 months, but this climate pattern can sometimes push on for longer. We can expect an El Niño episode to occur about every 2-7 years. Our last El Niño episode lasted from late 2018 to mid-2019.
Author: Ryen Nielsen – Teacher/Naturalist Intern
February - I Spy signs of spring
The dark, cold nights are coming to an end as February begins. As a naturalist, I am always outside and looking for the natural changes in nature that signify the changing seasons. Not only are we getting more sunlight every day, but because of this, we are starting to slowly see the signs of spring! One of my favorite quotes is from Naturalist John Trott from Virgina: “So, the year is turning and moving inexorably toward spring which, once started, moves like a snowball rolling downhill. It gathers momentum and mass until early May when each day brings so much newness that I am impatient and exasperated with my inability to see and hear it all. For now, I’ll concentrate on the slow momentum of February”.
Now is the perfect time to start a nature journal. There are no rules for a nature journal! Write down what you see that is new/changing, what you love about nature, write it like a story or write down bullet points. So as you start coming out of your hibernation with the increase of sunlight, here are the things that will be joining you.
Becoming more aware of the little things going on in nature that are signs of spring not only gets you out of your winter slump but also keeps you motivated to continue exploring nature. Keeping a nature journal is a great activity to do with kids. It works on their observation skills, writing skills, and possibly even art if they choose to draw in their journals. Get out there and start enjoying the weather!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
Now is the perfect time to start a nature journal. There are no rules for a nature journal! Write down what you see that is new/changing, what you love about nature, write it like a story or write down bullet points. So as you start coming out of your hibernation with the increase of sunlight, here are the things that will be joining you.
- Chickadees are singing “fee-bee” while eating their weight in food each day.
- Early February you can hear woodpeckers drumming on trees and calling. Their call sounds like a crackle.
- Coyotes become more active during mating season.
- Raccoons come out of their winter dens early on warm February days.
- American crows start to migrate north. They winter and travel in flocks. Once they reach their summer homes, they become solitary nesters with their mate.
- Great horned owls are Minnesota’s earliest nesting bird. They will be sitting on eggs by the second week of February.
- Barred owls are hooting at each other in the forest, setting their territories.
- Moss and lichens green up with the humid air and higher sun.
- Tree squirrels are very vocal are chasing perspective mates through the trees.
- Flocks of horned larks are seen along the roadways as one of the first spring migrants.
- By the end of February, red-tailed hawks start returning to their nesting sites.
- Keep an eye out for the first chipmunk emerging by the end of February.
- If you hear a loud double squawk, it is the sound of a male ring-necked pheasant courting.
- Look out for yellow coming back to male American goldfinches’ feathers.
- White-tailed deer start shedding their winter fur towards the end of February.
Becoming more aware of the little things going on in nature that are signs of spring not only gets you out of your winter slump but also keeps you motivated to continue exploring nature. Keeping a nature journal is a great activity to do with kids. It works on their observation skills, writing skills, and possibly even art if they choose to draw in their journals. Get out there and start enjoying the weather!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
March - The Mycelium Matrix
We’re all familiar with the many colorful, beautiful, and downright strange mushrooms that pop up during the summer and fall. Mushrooms can take on many different shapes and sizes, but the mushrooms that we see and love are only one small portion of the fungi we don’t see. The main body of a fungus is not the mushrooms we see above ground but rather millions of tiny white strands stretching out underground. These strands are known as mycelium. Mycelium is the main body of a fungus and they look and act like the roots and branches of trees. If you’ve ever seen mold on cheese or bread, then you know what mycelium looks like. Mold is just thousands of strands mycelium stacked on top of each other.
Mycelium grows one cell at a time and is very compact, so tens of miles of mycelium can only take up one pound soil. Even though mycelium is compact, that doesn’t mean it can’t stretch far. Fungi growing close together are just as likely to be a part of the same mycelium network, or body, as mushrooms growing miles apart. In fact, the world’s largest organism is a honey fungus growing in Oregon that stretches over 3.6 square miles!
Mycelium is responsible for taking in nutrients, communicating with other fungi, and reproducing. The mushrooms that we see above ground are one way that fungi reproduce. The mushrooms send out spores that are usually carried by the wind, and these spores land in a new location and establish themselves by sending out mycelium strands into the soil. However, mushrooms can only pop up when environmental conditions are just right, so fungi can also reproduce by splitting their mycelium. If a section of mycelium dies off somehow, causing two sections of the mycelium to be separated, the sections will split apart and begin to live as two different fungi.
Most fungi are detritivores, meaning they eat dead things, so the mycelium will feed the fungus by releasing enzymes that break down leaves, bark, and dead critters. Some fungi are not detritivores and instead feed by living in symbiosis with certain trees or plants, these fungi are known as mycorrhizal fungi. The mycelium of these fungi act as extensions of the roots of the plant and will bring in any water or nutrients it’s able to find in the soil. The fungus takes enough nutrients and water to sustain itself and gives the rest to its plant partner.
Without the mycelium networks of fungi, we’d be buried beneath thousands of dead trees, critters, and the soil in our gardens wouldn’t be able to grow things. Mycelium networks are the work horses of the decomposer food web and a leg up to many plants that have a mycorrhizal partner. Even though we usually only think of mushrooms as something that pops up after rainy weather, they’re around all year, working hard, just beneath our feet.
Author: Ryen Nielsen – Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Mycelium grows one cell at a time and is very compact, so tens of miles of mycelium can only take up one pound soil. Even though mycelium is compact, that doesn’t mean it can’t stretch far. Fungi growing close together are just as likely to be a part of the same mycelium network, or body, as mushrooms growing miles apart. In fact, the world’s largest organism is a honey fungus growing in Oregon that stretches over 3.6 square miles!
Mycelium is responsible for taking in nutrients, communicating with other fungi, and reproducing. The mushrooms that we see above ground are one way that fungi reproduce. The mushrooms send out spores that are usually carried by the wind, and these spores land in a new location and establish themselves by sending out mycelium strands into the soil. However, mushrooms can only pop up when environmental conditions are just right, so fungi can also reproduce by splitting their mycelium. If a section of mycelium dies off somehow, causing two sections of the mycelium to be separated, the sections will split apart and begin to live as two different fungi.
Most fungi are detritivores, meaning they eat dead things, so the mycelium will feed the fungus by releasing enzymes that break down leaves, bark, and dead critters. Some fungi are not detritivores and instead feed by living in symbiosis with certain trees or plants, these fungi are known as mycorrhizal fungi. The mycelium of these fungi act as extensions of the roots of the plant and will bring in any water or nutrients it’s able to find in the soil. The fungus takes enough nutrients and water to sustain itself and gives the rest to its plant partner.
Without the mycelium networks of fungi, we’d be buried beneath thousands of dead trees, critters, and the soil in our gardens wouldn’t be able to grow things. Mycelium networks are the work horses of the decomposer food web and a leg up to many plants that have a mycorrhizal partner. Even though we usually only think of mushrooms as something that pops up after rainy weather, they’re around all year, working hard, just beneath our feet.
Author: Ryen Nielsen – Teacher/Naturalist Intern
April - Canada Geese Family Rearing
A month ago, V-shaped flocks peppered our skies. With their populations increasing fast in the Midwest, Canada geese return to their birthplaces every spring to nest and create new families. April brings about their nesting activities, as well as the first of the season’s goslings (baby geese).
Canada geese tend to always choose a nest site within 150 feet of water, with concealment from predators being ideal. The female usually has the final say on the nest, building it herself out of sticks, leaves, and some of her own feathers. When the nesting site has been built, both mates will defend it. Each day, the female goose will lay one egg until she has a clutch ranging from 2-12 eggs. Then, the female will stay at the nest, incubating them for 28 days as the male guards her. Once the eggs hatch, the adult pair will wait about 24 hours before leading them away from the nest. Both adults will defend their broods for 10-12 weeks, until they are able to fly at 70 days old.
Geese are very open to “adoption”, especially where goose populations are dense. In fact, geese may adopt several groups of goslings, forming what is coined “gang broods”. Gang broods range from 20 to 100 goslings. They only have a few adults though, usually less than four. When this involves friendly parent pairs, it can be thought of as cooperative, as this ensures there is always at least one adult goose near the goslings for protection while the others are free to forage. However, sometime this is hostile, with geese pairs being aggressive and stealing goslings away from weaker parents to pad their own brood. The thieving pair’s original goslings stay closer to them, allowing the stolen goslings to be easier prey to predators. In this way, this better ensures the survival of their original brood to adulthood.
Surviving goslings will stay with their parents for their first year, and sometimes even their second. As they mature, they will become more social, gathering to feed in large numbers when food is plentiful. Once they are around 3 years old, they begin to pair off, finding mates of their own.
So next time you start to be annoyed with all the honking and geese poop that April brings to the nature center, remember that soon enough, there will be plenty of cute goslings to make it all worthwhile!
Author: Kendalynn Ross – Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Canada geese tend to always choose a nest site within 150 feet of water, with concealment from predators being ideal. The female usually has the final say on the nest, building it herself out of sticks, leaves, and some of her own feathers. When the nesting site has been built, both mates will defend it. Each day, the female goose will lay one egg until she has a clutch ranging from 2-12 eggs. Then, the female will stay at the nest, incubating them for 28 days as the male guards her. Once the eggs hatch, the adult pair will wait about 24 hours before leading them away from the nest. Both adults will defend their broods for 10-12 weeks, until they are able to fly at 70 days old.
Geese are very open to “adoption”, especially where goose populations are dense. In fact, geese may adopt several groups of goslings, forming what is coined “gang broods”. Gang broods range from 20 to 100 goslings. They only have a few adults though, usually less than four. When this involves friendly parent pairs, it can be thought of as cooperative, as this ensures there is always at least one adult goose near the goslings for protection while the others are free to forage. However, sometime this is hostile, with geese pairs being aggressive and stealing goslings away from weaker parents to pad their own brood. The thieving pair’s original goslings stay closer to them, allowing the stolen goslings to be easier prey to predators. In this way, this better ensures the survival of their original brood to adulthood.
Surviving goslings will stay with their parents for their first year, and sometimes even their second. As they mature, they will become more social, gathering to feed in large numbers when food is plentiful. Once they are around 3 years old, they begin to pair off, finding mates of their own.
So next time you start to be annoyed with all the honking and geese poop that April brings to the nature center, remember that soon enough, there will be plenty of cute goslings to make it all worthwhile!
Author: Kendalynn Ross – Teacher/Naturalist Intern
May- The American white pelican
Photo by Ron Dudley
"I will never forget the first time I saw a pelican. It was mid-April, and I was visiting Myre Island State Park after the frost had thawed. I took a trip to one of my favorite hiking spots looking for spring beauties and bloodroot, but saw instead a flock of massive, floating white birds on the lake. What I knew then of pelicans was limited; they have funky bills, like to eat fish, and didn’t live where I grew up. So when I saw one for the first time, I couldn’t believe it; with their bright orange beaks, black wing tips, and incredible stature, they were well worth the wait.
There are 8 species of birds in the genus Pelecanus, which are known for their large, long beak and their throat pouch, or gular pouch (gular translates to “throat” in Latin). Pelicans are one of the largest living birds; some in the genus can weigh up to 30 pounds (nearly 15 times the weight of a barred owl, and twice the weight of a Canada goose!) The American white pelican can be 5 feet tall with a wingspan of up to 9.5 feet.
Pelicans are set apart not only by their size, but also by their unique eating behavior. They eat by scooping up to 3 gallons of water with into their bill, then opening their bill slightly to let the water out while keeping their food in. Their diet consists of fish, crayfish, and salamanders; if it can fit in their pouch, it can be swallowed. A common misconception about pelicans is that they keep fish in their gular pouch until they want to eat; in fact, they eat right away. They regurgitate food for their young, but otherwise swallow their food whole once the water has been sieved from their bill.
Minnesota is one of the most populous breeding sites for American white pelicans, along with North and South Dakota. Their range is largely limited to western North America, but seem to like our neck of the woods the best. American white pelicans are monogamous, and choose their mate based on their partners’ ability to strut, bow, and the males ability to grow a nice orange caruncle (shown in the photograph) on their beak.
Pelicans nest in colonies, sometimes with thousands, and create nests by digging into sand, soil, or gravel. Females often lay a clutch of 2 eggs, and both parents take turns incubating until they hatch. After they hatch, however, the second chick hatched often doesn’t survive into adulthood. Despite this, American white pelican populations are doing well, and their population status is of least concern."
Author: Office Manager/Naturalist - Meredith Maloney
There are 8 species of birds in the genus Pelecanus, which are known for their large, long beak and their throat pouch, or gular pouch (gular translates to “throat” in Latin). Pelicans are one of the largest living birds; some in the genus can weigh up to 30 pounds (nearly 15 times the weight of a barred owl, and twice the weight of a Canada goose!) The American white pelican can be 5 feet tall with a wingspan of up to 9.5 feet.
Pelicans are set apart not only by their size, but also by their unique eating behavior. They eat by scooping up to 3 gallons of water with into their bill, then opening their bill slightly to let the water out while keeping their food in. Their diet consists of fish, crayfish, and salamanders; if it can fit in their pouch, it can be swallowed. A common misconception about pelicans is that they keep fish in their gular pouch until they want to eat; in fact, they eat right away. They regurgitate food for their young, but otherwise swallow their food whole once the water has been sieved from their bill.
Minnesota is one of the most populous breeding sites for American white pelicans, along with North and South Dakota. Their range is largely limited to western North America, but seem to like our neck of the woods the best. American white pelicans are monogamous, and choose their mate based on their partners’ ability to strut, bow, and the males ability to grow a nice orange caruncle (shown in the photograph) on their beak.
Pelicans nest in colonies, sometimes with thousands, and create nests by digging into sand, soil, or gravel. Females often lay a clutch of 2 eggs, and both parents take turns incubating until they hatch. After they hatch, however, the second chick hatched often doesn’t survive into adulthood. Despite this, American white pelican populations are doing well, and their population status is of least concern."
Author: Office Manager/Naturalist - Meredith Maloney
June - underwater architects: Caddisfly Larvae
Photo By: Bob Henricks
The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center is home to so many critters, but not many know about the plethora of them that live under the surface of our waters. Both our pond and Dobbins Creek are amazing habitats for all sorts of aquatic macroinvertebrates which is a fancy phrase for all sorts of water creepy crawlies that don’t have a backbone, like bugs, or crayfish. Those aquatic insects are usually in their mid-life stage underwater before they become their better-known adult stages in the air and on land, like dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, etc.
One of the coolest macroinvertebrates in the creek scene are little grub looking insects called caddisfly larvae. Their adult form is similar looking to a moth that lives for about 4 months. Most of their life is spent in their aquatic larval stage, which could last a couple of years hanging out in streams and rivers. While the appearance of these glorified worm looking inverts is nothing to write home about, they are incredibly talented underwater architects.
Caddisflies larvae produce sticky silk because of modified salivary glands. Can you imagine being able to spit out double sided tape on command that works in water? What a party trick. These larvae take this sticky silk and construct a huge variety of different structures. Some of them will create intricate tubes made from individual grains of sand, pebbles, or plant material. While others can make more of a snail shell shape, or even just weave a net out of silk. After the construction, the caddisflies that build these tubes, called casings, crawl inside, like a hermit crab does. They will attach themselves with their newly self-constructed home to a rock on the bottom of the stream bed to lie in wait for food to come to them.
An up-close look at these little architects proudly hunkered down in their casing will showcase three pairs of legs and heads hanging out the front to catch a meal from the water current on the way by. The front of their heads house large pincers that help chomp through dead organic material including algae and leaves, called detritus.
It is easy to spot caddisflies as most are attached to rocks on creek bed floors. You can find small streaks of webbing silk, suspicious rocks clumped together, or, if you are lucky, find intact casings if you turn over rocks in a cold, fast moving creek. In recent years more and more caddisflies and their casings have been found in Dobbins Creek at the nature center which is a great indication of water quality. Caddisflies, along with some other macroinvertebrates, have a low tolerance to pollutants in the water where they reside. Meaning the more that we find, the cleaner our water quality is.
Caddisflies, stoneflies, mayflies, and other aquatic macroinvertebrates are a primary food source for larger aquatic animals that live in streams, including trout. An increase in these pollutant intolerant aquatic macroinvertebrates shows us that there has been an improvement to the water quality over the past few decades. Next time you are enjoying time at a babbling brook or taking a stroll next to Dobbins Creek at the nature center, know that there’s a lot happening beneath the water’s surface.
Author: Outreach Naturalist – Kelly Bahl
One of the coolest macroinvertebrates in the creek scene are little grub looking insects called caddisfly larvae. Their adult form is similar looking to a moth that lives for about 4 months. Most of their life is spent in their aquatic larval stage, which could last a couple of years hanging out in streams and rivers. While the appearance of these glorified worm looking inverts is nothing to write home about, they are incredibly talented underwater architects.
Caddisflies larvae produce sticky silk because of modified salivary glands. Can you imagine being able to spit out double sided tape on command that works in water? What a party trick. These larvae take this sticky silk and construct a huge variety of different structures. Some of them will create intricate tubes made from individual grains of sand, pebbles, or plant material. While others can make more of a snail shell shape, or even just weave a net out of silk. After the construction, the caddisflies that build these tubes, called casings, crawl inside, like a hermit crab does. They will attach themselves with their newly self-constructed home to a rock on the bottom of the stream bed to lie in wait for food to come to them.
An up-close look at these little architects proudly hunkered down in their casing will showcase three pairs of legs and heads hanging out the front to catch a meal from the water current on the way by. The front of their heads house large pincers that help chomp through dead organic material including algae and leaves, called detritus.
It is easy to spot caddisflies as most are attached to rocks on creek bed floors. You can find small streaks of webbing silk, suspicious rocks clumped together, or, if you are lucky, find intact casings if you turn over rocks in a cold, fast moving creek. In recent years more and more caddisflies and their casings have been found in Dobbins Creek at the nature center which is a great indication of water quality. Caddisflies, along with some other macroinvertebrates, have a low tolerance to pollutants in the water where they reside. Meaning the more that we find, the cleaner our water quality is.
Caddisflies, stoneflies, mayflies, and other aquatic macroinvertebrates are a primary food source for larger aquatic animals that live in streams, including trout. An increase in these pollutant intolerant aquatic macroinvertebrates shows us that there has been an improvement to the water quality over the past few decades. Next time you are enjoying time at a babbling brook or taking a stroll next to Dobbins Creek at the nature center, know that there’s a lot happening beneath the water’s surface.
Author: Outreach Naturalist – Kelly Bahl
August - Night(hawk) moves
When we think of migrating birds, we normally think of the blush of color warblers bring to the treetops in spring, or the iconic flying V’s of geese in the fall, but some birds start yearning for their winter homes early right as the end of summer nears. The common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) is a frequently heard bird on summer evenings. Their distinctive low, buzzy peent call is often the only indicator of their presence. If you’re lucky enough, sometimes you can make out their long-winged shapes swooping in the dim light as they hunt for flying insects.
Even though the word “hawk” is in their name, common nighthawks are not raptors, and are instead found in the nightjar family, which includes other birds like whip-or-wills. While the white bars on their wings can help with identification at dawn and dusk while they’re hunting, they are incredibly well camouflaged during the day often appearing to be just another branch on a tree, or board on a fence, depending on their roosting location. Nightjars are insectivorous, meaning they’re reliant on insects for food. This allows them to be less picky about their habitats. They’re partial to any kind of open or semi-open habitat that gives them plenty of room to fly around, like forests clearings, downtowns, prairies, farmland, etc. They maintain a very wide range and can be found across the entire United States.
Despite their widespread range, common nighthawks will all congregate together once migration really kicks off in August. Birds from all over the country flood into the Mississippi flyway and flock down towards their wintering grounds in southern South America. This migration is one of the longest migrations of any North American bird, clocking in at a whopping 6,200 miles, with most of these birds settling in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil by October. To make their journey even more incredible, common nighthawks choose to fly through Florida and over the Caribbean Sea rather than continuing their journey over land through Mexico.
In the spring, common nighthawks start their northbound journey in March and follow essentially the same route they took southbound, arriving in the United States around mid-May. Perhaps most impressively, common nighthawks return to their same territory every year. Ornithologists (scientists who study birds) that have been tracking their migration have even recaptured birds within half a mile of where they’d captured them the previous year. That’s some faithful flying!
Unfortunately, the once common nighthawk is becoming less and less so. Their populations have been declining since the 1960s and we’ve now lost approximately 60% of these birds. This decline can be attributed to an increase in pesticide use, habitat loss, and even vehicle collisions. Since these birds fly so far and are most active at dawn and dusk, it can be difficult to follow and study them, so much of their natural history remains a mystery, making it even more crucial that we conserve the birds we have left.
By Ryen Nielsen – Teacher/Intern
Even though the word “hawk” is in their name, common nighthawks are not raptors, and are instead found in the nightjar family, which includes other birds like whip-or-wills. While the white bars on their wings can help with identification at dawn and dusk while they’re hunting, they are incredibly well camouflaged during the day often appearing to be just another branch on a tree, or board on a fence, depending on their roosting location. Nightjars are insectivorous, meaning they’re reliant on insects for food. This allows them to be less picky about their habitats. They’re partial to any kind of open or semi-open habitat that gives them plenty of room to fly around, like forests clearings, downtowns, prairies, farmland, etc. They maintain a very wide range and can be found across the entire United States.
Despite their widespread range, common nighthawks will all congregate together once migration really kicks off in August. Birds from all over the country flood into the Mississippi flyway and flock down towards their wintering grounds in southern South America. This migration is one of the longest migrations of any North American bird, clocking in at a whopping 6,200 miles, with most of these birds settling in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil by October. To make their journey even more incredible, common nighthawks choose to fly through Florida and over the Caribbean Sea rather than continuing their journey over land through Mexico.
In the spring, common nighthawks start their northbound journey in March and follow essentially the same route they took southbound, arriving in the United States around mid-May. Perhaps most impressively, common nighthawks return to their same territory every year. Ornithologists (scientists who study birds) that have been tracking their migration have even recaptured birds within half a mile of where they’d captured them the previous year. That’s some faithful flying!
Unfortunately, the once common nighthawk is becoming less and less so. Their populations have been declining since the 1960s and we’ve now lost approximately 60% of these birds. This decline can be attributed to an increase in pesticide use, habitat loss, and even vehicle collisions. Since these birds fly so far and are most active at dawn and dusk, it can be difficult to follow and study them, so much of their natural history remains a mystery, making it even more crucial that we conserve the birds we have left.
By Ryen Nielsen – Teacher/Intern
September - honey harvesting
This month, the Hormel Nature Center will be hosting our annual Honey Harvest. Every September we open up our beehives and harvest excess honey, bottle it, and sell it. Have you ever wondered why we harvest only once a year, always in September? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
Minnesota beekeepers (almost) always harvest in September. Typically by the end of September, flowers are no longer blooming, and nectar is no longer flowing. Consequently, honey production is coming to a close. Additionally, summer warmth often continues through September; opening a hive in cold weather can cause a lot of damage to the health of the hive.
However, there are a lot of other factors that determine the best time to harvest. Honey is ready to be harvested when each frame has at least 80% sealed and capped honey.
After bees drink nectar from flowers, the nectar goes into their crop, or honey stomach. Once back at the hive, they regurgitate it into empty cells. They add enzymes called diastase and invertase after regurgitating nectar, which help break down the sugar into more digestible fructose and glucose that bee bellies can process. Nectar transitions to honey when a large portion of water evaporates off until there is less than 18.6% percent water left. Nectar is made up of ~70% water and ~30% sugar, whereas honey is approximately 40% fructose, 30% glucose and 17% water.
In order to remove excess water, the bees fan the nectar with their wings. Once the nectar has enough water evaporated off of it to be deemed honey in the eyes of the bee, they will then cap it for winter storage.
In order to cap the honey, bees are able to create their own wax from a gland that is located on their abdomen, which is secreted as a liquid and hardens over time. Once secreted from the abdomen, the bees then chew on the wax using their mandible to soften it. 1 bee in peak fitness can produce ~8 scales of wax from their abdomen in a 12 hour period; however, over 1000 scales of wax are needed to produce a single gram of beeswax. Amazingly, 680,385 hours of bee work are needed for bees to produce a single pound of wax; that comes out to 77.67 YEARS of accumulative time worked.
It is easy to take things like honey and beeswax for granted when there is always plenty at the grocery store. I always find that honey tastes a little bit sweeter when I remember just how much work, time, and pollen it took for the teaspoon I put in my tea.
Author: Meredith Maloney
Minnesota beekeepers (almost) always harvest in September. Typically by the end of September, flowers are no longer blooming, and nectar is no longer flowing. Consequently, honey production is coming to a close. Additionally, summer warmth often continues through September; opening a hive in cold weather can cause a lot of damage to the health of the hive.
However, there are a lot of other factors that determine the best time to harvest. Honey is ready to be harvested when each frame has at least 80% sealed and capped honey.
After bees drink nectar from flowers, the nectar goes into their crop, or honey stomach. Once back at the hive, they regurgitate it into empty cells. They add enzymes called diastase and invertase after regurgitating nectar, which help break down the sugar into more digestible fructose and glucose that bee bellies can process. Nectar transitions to honey when a large portion of water evaporates off until there is less than 18.6% percent water left. Nectar is made up of ~70% water and ~30% sugar, whereas honey is approximately 40% fructose, 30% glucose and 17% water.
In order to remove excess water, the bees fan the nectar with their wings. Once the nectar has enough water evaporated off of it to be deemed honey in the eyes of the bee, they will then cap it for winter storage.
In order to cap the honey, bees are able to create their own wax from a gland that is located on their abdomen, which is secreted as a liquid and hardens over time. Once secreted from the abdomen, the bees then chew on the wax using their mandible to soften it. 1 bee in peak fitness can produce ~8 scales of wax from their abdomen in a 12 hour period; however, over 1000 scales of wax are needed to produce a single gram of beeswax. Amazingly, 680,385 hours of bee work are needed for bees to produce a single pound of wax; that comes out to 77.67 YEARS of accumulative time worked.
It is easy to take things like honey and beeswax for granted when there is always plenty at the grocery store. I always find that honey tastes a little bit sweeter when I remember just how much work, time, and pollen it took for the teaspoon I put in my tea.
Author: Meredith Maloney
October - A Frightening Tale of Pumpkins and Methane
What would Halloween be without its jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkin pies? Less polluted, that’s what! Pumpkins can cause higher greenhouse gas emissions, leading to increased global warming. That’s a true fright that will haunt our skies for a long time.
Hundreds of thousands of pumpkins make their way into our landfills after Halloween ends and everyone wants to get rid of their rotting gourd. The way landfills are structured makes it difficult for organics to get enough oxygen to break down, as landfills are meant for long term storage, not aeration. This means that when organics, like pumpkins, end up in landfills, they release methane gas. Methane is one of the most prevalent greenhouse gases after carbon dioxide, and more than 28 times as potent. It has an atmospheric lifespan of about twelve years, and is key for the creation of harmful air pollutants. For every 100 pounds of pumpkin that ends up in a landfill, about eight pounds of methane are produced.
So, what should you do to stop pumpkins from haunting us for years to come? You might jump to think that you should leave your rotting pumpkins out somewhere and feed the wildlife as autumn turns to winter. However, feeding wildlife can lead to complaints regarding the damage they might cause, as well as promoting potential disease spread. Leaving your pumpkin to decompose in natural preserves and parks also isn’t as beneficial as one might think. Dumping your pumpkin at a park or preserve can smother the native plants, forcing staff to clean up after you, and create unideal pockets of mold and animal activity.
One helpful way to mitigate your pumpkin waste this month is to feed farm animals. If your pumpkin is still somewhat firm and has no mold, many places will allow you to donate your pumpkin as feed for their livestock. If you have farm animals yourself, pumpkin can be great feed as it is rich in vitamins and can even be a dewormer! You can also roast the seeds and turn the pumpkin into a bird and squirrel feeder, removing it once it is soggy and moldy. You might consider checking with your local yard waste facility, as many make an exception for pumpkins during this time of year. Tossing your pumpkin into a compost heap is another alternative. Composting allows for oxygen to reach organics as they decompose, sequestering any emissions and allowing for it to be returned to the soil. You can smash your pumpkin and compost it yourself, or you can find a place that handles community food scraps, such as the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, to compost it for you. Always double check if composting projects are still accepting collections!
Now armed with the tools and resources to dispose of your pumpkins after Halloween ends, you can enjoy all the festivities filled with the fun frights from friends and family, and not the doom and gloom of methane emissions.
Author: Kendalynn Ross: Intern Naturalist/Teacher
Hundreds of thousands of pumpkins make their way into our landfills after Halloween ends and everyone wants to get rid of their rotting gourd. The way landfills are structured makes it difficult for organics to get enough oxygen to break down, as landfills are meant for long term storage, not aeration. This means that when organics, like pumpkins, end up in landfills, they release methane gas. Methane is one of the most prevalent greenhouse gases after carbon dioxide, and more than 28 times as potent. It has an atmospheric lifespan of about twelve years, and is key for the creation of harmful air pollutants. For every 100 pounds of pumpkin that ends up in a landfill, about eight pounds of methane are produced.
So, what should you do to stop pumpkins from haunting us for years to come? You might jump to think that you should leave your rotting pumpkins out somewhere and feed the wildlife as autumn turns to winter. However, feeding wildlife can lead to complaints regarding the damage they might cause, as well as promoting potential disease spread. Leaving your pumpkin to decompose in natural preserves and parks also isn’t as beneficial as one might think. Dumping your pumpkin at a park or preserve can smother the native plants, forcing staff to clean up after you, and create unideal pockets of mold and animal activity.
One helpful way to mitigate your pumpkin waste this month is to feed farm animals. If your pumpkin is still somewhat firm and has no mold, many places will allow you to donate your pumpkin as feed for their livestock. If you have farm animals yourself, pumpkin can be great feed as it is rich in vitamins and can even be a dewormer! You can also roast the seeds and turn the pumpkin into a bird and squirrel feeder, removing it once it is soggy and moldy. You might consider checking with your local yard waste facility, as many make an exception for pumpkins during this time of year. Tossing your pumpkin into a compost heap is another alternative. Composting allows for oxygen to reach organics as they decompose, sequestering any emissions and allowing for it to be returned to the soil. You can smash your pumpkin and compost it yourself, or you can find a place that handles community food scraps, such as the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, to compost it for you. Always double check if composting projects are still accepting collections!
Now armed with the tools and resources to dispose of your pumpkins after Halloween ends, you can enjoy all the festivities filled with the fun frights from friends and family, and not the doom and gloom of methane emissions.
Author: Kendalynn Ross: Intern Naturalist/Teacher
NOvember - brumation
It’s once again that time of year! The final leaves are beginning to drop, animals are staying busy with their winter preparations, and us humans start reaching for our winter jackets. We’re all familiar with hibernating bears and migrating birds, but what do turtles do? The rush to prepare for winter even reaches these slow-moving creatures.
Turtles are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature is reflected by the temperature of their environments. As the temperatures cool down, so do their temperatures. In turn, this causes their metabolisms to slow down. If you see a turtle out and about on a chilly day, you’ll notice that they move much slower than they might in the warmer months.
When turtles are finally ready to stop for the season, they enter a process called brumation. This involves burrowing into mud or soft soil at the bottom of a freshwater pond and continuing to slow down their metabolism. When the ice forms a sheet at the water’s surface, oxygen starts to become limited. The water can either become hypoxic (low in oxygen) or anoxic (no oxygen).
Metabolism is so slow at this point; turtles can manage to survive in these low oxygen environments for the winter. However, it starts to form lactic acid in their muscles. Turtles are able to negate this effect by burning up calcium found in their shells and bones. Once spring rolls around with its warm sunny days, turtles return to their usual activities. They find sunny basking spots to help relax their muscles after getting some lactic acid buildup.
This is a vulnerable process where many things can go wrong, and things often do. 44% of turtle species in Minnesota are threatened or are of special concern. Disease, pollution, harvesting, and habitat loss are some of the biggest threats facing our turtles. The best thing you can do if you spot a turtle on it’s way to brumate is to leave it alone as moving them could disorient them.
This winter, let’s shell-abrate the marvelous process of brumation!
Author: Katherine Schramek – Intern Naturalist/Teacher
Turtles are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature is reflected by the temperature of their environments. As the temperatures cool down, so do their temperatures. In turn, this causes their metabolisms to slow down. If you see a turtle out and about on a chilly day, you’ll notice that they move much slower than they might in the warmer months.
When turtles are finally ready to stop for the season, they enter a process called brumation. This involves burrowing into mud or soft soil at the bottom of a freshwater pond and continuing to slow down their metabolism. When the ice forms a sheet at the water’s surface, oxygen starts to become limited. The water can either become hypoxic (low in oxygen) or anoxic (no oxygen).
Metabolism is so slow at this point; turtles can manage to survive in these low oxygen environments for the winter. However, it starts to form lactic acid in their muscles. Turtles are able to negate this effect by burning up calcium found in their shells and bones. Once spring rolls around with its warm sunny days, turtles return to their usual activities. They find sunny basking spots to help relax their muscles after getting some lactic acid buildup.
This is a vulnerable process where many things can go wrong, and things often do. 44% of turtle species in Minnesota are threatened or are of special concern. Disease, pollution, harvesting, and habitat loss are some of the biggest threats facing our turtles. The best thing you can do if you spot a turtle on it’s way to brumate is to leave it alone as moving them could disorient them.
This winter, let’s shell-abrate the marvelous process of brumation!
Author: Katherine Schramek – Intern Naturalist/Teacher