NATURE Notes
Every month there will be a new note about what to look for in the natural world during that month.
april - spring cleanup: protect the pollinators
We have all been feeling the itch for spring lately, especially with the early arrival of warm weather. The warm weather usually sends me into a frenzy of spring cleaning, inside and out. This year I got a very important Facebook reminder from my naturalist friends to resist the urge to cleanup my garden and outdoor plants and leaves until the daytime temperatures are in the 50’s for 7 consecutive days. We have not hit that milestone yet, but we are close!
The best possible thing that you can do to insure a strong pollinator population in the spring is to leave your garden, plants, or a small compost pile of leaves alone in the fall. Think of it as a cozy winter home for insects, pupas, or chrysalises. In the winter insects and other invertebrates go into a state of suspended development called diapause. They will do this inside of hollowed out stems, under a pile of leaves, or just under the top layer of the soil or mulch.
Here are some of the critters that call your yard litter their home:
Native Bees
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
The best possible thing that you can do to insure a strong pollinator population in the spring is to leave your garden, plants, or a small compost pile of leaves alone in the fall. Think of it as a cozy winter home for insects, pupas, or chrysalises. In the winter insects and other invertebrates go into a state of suspended development called diapause. They will do this inside of hollowed out stems, under a pile of leaves, or just under the top layer of the soil or mulch.
Here are some of the critters that call your yard litter their home:
Native Bees
- Bumblebee queens overwinter alone in underground holes. In the spring time they come out searching for pollen sources before starting a new colony. Bumblebees look for pre-existing cavities in rock piles, empty mouse burrows, or under layers of dense vegetation.
- Carpenter bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, yellow-faced bees, and green sweat bees lay their eggs in hollow tubes or flower stems or in holes in the ground.
- The anglewing, red admiral, and mourning cloak butterflies hibernate as adults under loose bark of trees and in hollow logs.
- The swallowtail family overwinter in chrysalises hanging from branches or hollow flower stems.
- The viceroy overwinters as a caterpillar and curls up in leaves on the ground or in old seed pods.
- There are over 50 species of ladybugs in Minnesota that winter under leaves, at the base of plants, or under rocks.
- These great predators of farm and garden pests are declining in population.
- These insects include assassin bugs, lacewings, damsel bugs, ground beetles, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, and lightning bugs.
- These insects will over winter in tree holes, leaf litter, and under rocks.
- These predatory insects are great to have in your garden or near agriculture due to the fact that they prey on pests like aphids, mites, whiteflies, and other soft bodied pests.
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
Previous nature notes
2021 Nature Notes
january - under the blanket of snow
 vole tunnels across a trail in winter
One of the most picturesque winter moments is an undisturbed field of snow. No blemishes, prints, or holes to mess up the perfection of a white blanket of powder, seeming to quiet down the world for an instant. However, beneath the surface of the silent winter wonderland is a highway of activity. Literally.
During the winter months when a lot of the animal kingdom is slowing down, or even napping the days away, native rodents like mice and voles are still very much active! They are thriving in the subnivean zone. This zone is under the snowpack and above the freezing ground. It is a highly specialized zone as it can only exist in areas with regular snowfall and needs at least 6 inches of snow on the ground to provide the voles enough space to tunnel. These tunnels are used to access community nesting areas and most importantly food opportunities like dropped seed on the ground, grass, or even bark at the base of a young tree. Tunnels built in the snow offer a big advantage for the rodents. First off, the soft powdery snow is a lot easier to tunnel through than soil, so tunnels can be made quicker. Secondly, the snow also serves as excellent protection. Even if it is made of frozen water, snow is a great insulator so the mice and voles can stay warm through the winter months. In addition to being warm, the cover of snow can provide a layer of protection from most predators. Most, but not all. There are some predators that have the adaptations to hunt these rodents even through the snow. Animals like foxes and owls have superb hearing that they can easily track a vole underneath a snow layer 3 feet thick. Spot the entrances of the tunnels in a snow bank, or edge of a trail, easily identifiable by a round hole that is about 1.5-2 inches in diameter. Another way to figure out if there is a maze of tunnels underneath a patch of snow is to just wait for it to melt. Once the snow starts to melt away the tunnels will become noticeable snaking this way and that over a once undisturbed landscape of snow. It seems to be nature’s gentle reminder that not everything is what it seems on the surface. Author: Kelly Bahl |
vole that calls the nature center's prairie home
|
february - spectacular snow
Close-up of graupel on the ground outside of the front of the nature center
|
Excellent example of hoar frost along our nature center trails
|
Each winter Mother Nature delivers an extensive blanket of snow across North America. As Minnesotans we know that snow can elicit a wide range of emotions. Snow can be magical, awe inspiring, hazardous or a nuisance. We have developed a culture of hundreds of thousands of winter enthusiasts who like to downhill or cross country ski, snowshoe, snowmobile, ice fish, sled and more. Many Minnesotans live for the cold season to truly enjoy these outdoor activities. Here are some “chillin’ facts” about snow.
Snow isn’t white. Technically snow is translucent. It is a fact that when snowflakes are examined under a microscope they are clear. As Sarah Stone explains for Gizmodo (gizmodo.com), “So when one of these tiny, beautiful ice crystal formations bend light, that light ultimately encounters another ice crystal in the clump of snowflakes where it is also bent, and then another and another….light waves will ultimately be reflected and thus the sunlight will appear white to you.”
Snow can sometimes appear blue or pink. When Elvis Presley sang a song about having a “Blue Christmas” he could have been literal. Snow can appear blue to the naked eye, for reasons similar to why it appears white (bending light). But in cases where the light penetrates deeper into the snow, more red light might get absorbed than blue light. In polar and alpine regions that contain algae with a red pigment, snow can take on a pink appearance.”
What you think is a snowflake isn’t a snowflake. “The classic image of snowflake with its star shape and six arms, is actually a snow crystal." Snowflakes can be a wider range of crystal formations, from a single crystal to a small cluster what Kenneth G. Libbrecht, a snowflake devotee at the California Institute of Technology calls monster snowflakes, resulting from when crystals collide in midair and stick together to form flimsy puffballs. But a snow crystal is the tiny thing that forms when water molecules align hexagonally and freeze together. "Each snowflake is made up of 200 ice crystals. Snowflakes always have six sides.”
Snow crystals can take three other forms of crystals. “Hoarfrost are deposits of frozen water that create clear furry looking” frost on steroids. (Weather.com-hoarfrost explained) Hoarfrost sticks on poles, wires, fences, trees and plants and can create beautiful winter landscapes. There’s graupel, which consists of snowflakes that have become rounded pellets as large as 5 millimeters. Sometimes, graupel is mistaken for hail. The third form is called polycrystals which are snowflakes made up of numerous individual ice crystals. These are the large ones you might see during storms that make you say “Wow, these are such large snowflakes!” Though supporting evidence is limited, the Guinness World Records book lists the largest snowflake on record to be one from a January 1887 storm in Fort Keogh, Montana. Measuring 15 inches wide, the rancher than spotted it described it as “larger than milk pans.”
Identical snowflakes do exist. “Despite the adage that no two snowflakes are alike, it is a fact that identical snowflakes have been found." In 1988, scientist, Nancy Knight of the National Center for Atmosphere Research in Boulder, Colorado, found a pair of identical flakes resulting from a storm in Wisconsin. "Each snowflake contains approximately 180 million water molecules coming together in a random way.” We get close to 80% of the world’s fresh water from snow and ice!
Billions of snowflakes fall in every snowstorm. On the average snowflakes fall from the sky at 3-4 miles an hour. While snowflakes are falling, they are continually being changed by hitting other snowflakes on the way down, by the wind breaking off part of fragile snowflakes, by a sudden jar when snowflakes are hitting the ground, and by snowflakes falling on top of another. A lot of air is trapped inside the ice crystals making up a snow flake, which is the reason snowflakes are extremely good insulators. It has been recorded that ground covered with two feet of snow was 50 degrees warmer than the air immediately above the snow pack. So, when talking about a blanket of snow, we really mean a blanket. So the next time you curl up with a blanket this winter to ward off the cold, think about Mother Nature’s ability to provide a snow blanket too.
Author: Julie Champlin
Snow isn’t white. Technically snow is translucent. It is a fact that when snowflakes are examined under a microscope they are clear. As Sarah Stone explains for Gizmodo (gizmodo.com), “So when one of these tiny, beautiful ice crystal formations bend light, that light ultimately encounters another ice crystal in the clump of snowflakes where it is also bent, and then another and another….light waves will ultimately be reflected and thus the sunlight will appear white to you.”
Snow can sometimes appear blue or pink. When Elvis Presley sang a song about having a “Blue Christmas” he could have been literal. Snow can appear blue to the naked eye, for reasons similar to why it appears white (bending light). But in cases where the light penetrates deeper into the snow, more red light might get absorbed than blue light. In polar and alpine regions that contain algae with a red pigment, snow can take on a pink appearance.”
What you think is a snowflake isn’t a snowflake. “The classic image of snowflake with its star shape and six arms, is actually a snow crystal." Snowflakes can be a wider range of crystal formations, from a single crystal to a small cluster what Kenneth G. Libbrecht, a snowflake devotee at the California Institute of Technology calls monster snowflakes, resulting from when crystals collide in midair and stick together to form flimsy puffballs. But a snow crystal is the tiny thing that forms when water molecules align hexagonally and freeze together. "Each snowflake is made up of 200 ice crystals. Snowflakes always have six sides.”
Snow crystals can take three other forms of crystals. “Hoarfrost are deposits of frozen water that create clear furry looking” frost on steroids. (Weather.com-hoarfrost explained) Hoarfrost sticks on poles, wires, fences, trees and plants and can create beautiful winter landscapes. There’s graupel, which consists of snowflakes that have become rounded pellets as large as 5 millimeters. Sometimes, graupel is mistaken for hail. The third form is called polycrystals which are snowflakes made up of numerous individual ice crystals. These are the large ones you might see during storms that make you say “Wow, these are such large snowflakes!” Though supporting evidence is limited, the Guinness World Records book lists the largest snowflake on record to be one from a January 1887 storm in Fort Keogh, Montana. Measuring 15 inches wide, the rancher than spotted it described it as “larger than milk pans.”
Identical snowflakes do exist. “Despite the adage that no two snowflakes are alike, it is a fact that identical snowflakes have been found." In 1988, scientist, Nancy Knight of the National Center for Atmosphere Research in Boulder, Colorado, found a pair of identical flakes resulting from a storm in Wisconsin. "Each snowflake contains approximately 180 million water molecules coming together in a random way.” We get close to 80% of the world’s fresh water from snow and ice!
Billions of snowflakes fall in every snowstorm. On the average snowflakes fall from the sky at 3-4 miles an hour. While snowflakes are falling, they are continually being changed by hitting other snowflakes on the way down, by the wind breaking off part of fragile snowflakes, by a sudden jar when snowflakes are hitting the ground, and by snowflakes falling on top of another. A lot of air is trapped inside the ice crystals making up a snow flake, which is the reason snowflakes are extremely good insulators. It has been recorded that ground covered with two feet of snow was 50 degrees warmer than the air immediately above the snow pack. So, when talking about a blanket of snow, we really mean a blanket. So the next time you curl up with a blanket this winter to ward off the cold, think about Mother Nature’s ability to provide a snow blanket too.
Author: Julie Champlin
March - blue skies and blue herons
Ahh, March. A month that can be tricky to predict, but can hold a lot of potential. March can be a continuation of winter, an arrival of early spring, or an eclectic mix of the two.
While a lot is uncertain in March, there are some things we can count on. We can count on Canada Geese nesting - preparing for warmer weather, melted snow, and the chance to lay their eggs. We can count on the best sap flows of the year, right as the maple trees begin to thaw. We can certainly count on uncertainty (which sounds a little too “2020-esque” for my taste). But my personal favorite March event is the return of blue herons. As a native New Englander growing up near an estuary, blue herons so fondly remind me of the start of warmer days.
Great Blue Herons are the largest and tallest of all North American herons. At four feet tall and only 5-6 pounds (thanks to their hollow bones – a trait that all birds have evolved for flight), these birds are certainly a sight to see. Blue herons have a wingspan of about 6 feet, and can cruise at a high speed of 20-30 mph. They are often distinguished in the sky by their long bodies and the “S” shape that their neck forms.
These funky little birds live off of a diet mostly of fish, and have a pretty neat way of getting it. Blue herons will stand eerily still in shallow water, and wait for a snack to swim nearby. When their meal is close enough, they throw their head and neck forward with such speed and precision that they can use their knife-like beaks to kill their prey – this style of hunting has been aptly named the “bill stab”.
While a vast majority of their food is caught with this method, they are certainly not limited to the “bill stab”: blue herons can pluck prey off of the surface of the water with their feet, swim through deeper waters in search of food, pick up dead fish floating on the water’s surface, and even catch fish as they leap out of the water. Sometimes, they bite off more than they can chew… quite literally. They’ve been known to choke and sometimes die as a result of attempting to eat something bigger than they can handle.
Fish aren’t the only prey of blue herons. They also eat various insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, rodents, and small birds. Some even forage near people to collect food scraps – I guess you could say they’re the lanky, amphibious raccoons of the bird world. Or a very silly looking cousin of seagulls. I think that they kind of look like sharp, grey flamingos with a comb-over… Though, that’s beside the point.
Blue herons winter in warmer climates, and their range is expanding from southern states to Central America. In spring, female blue herons return to their nesting sites, which are the same spots that they return to year after year. While they nest in the same spot annually, they mate with different partners. They nest in colonies called “heronries”, and build large nests in trees (about 3-4 feet across) of mostly sticks and twigs. Heronries can be have upwards of 100 nests! When these communities have birds of mixed species, they’re called “rookeries”.
While March is one of the most unpredictable months of the year, it undeniably holds the hope of winter coming to a close. March signifies the beginning of brighter days ahead, and blue herons more than any other species fill me with the hope of sunshine and snowmelt.
Author - Meredith Maloney
While a lot is uncertain in March, there are some things we can count on. We can count on Canada Geese nesting - preparing for warmer weather, melted snow, and the chance to lay their eggs. We can count on the best sap flows of the year, right as the maple trees begin to thaw. We can certainly count on uncertainty (which sounds a little too “2020-esque” for my taste). But my personal favorite March event is the return of blue herons. As a native New Englander growing up near an estuary, blue herons so fondly remind me of the start of warmer days.
Great Blue Herons are the largest and tallest of all North American herons. At four feet tall and only 5-6 pounds (thanks to their hollow bones – a trait that all birds have evolved for flight), these birds are certainly a sight to see. Blue herons have a wingspan of about 6 feet, and can cruise at a high speed of 20-30 mph. They are often distinguished in the sky by their long bodies and the “S” shape that their neck forms.
These funky little birds live off of a diet mostly of fish, and have a pretty neat way of getting it. Blue herons will stand eerily still in shallow water, and wait for a snack to swim nearby. When their meal is close enough, they throw their head and neck forward with such speed and precision that they can use their knife-like beaks to kill their prey – this style of hunting has been aptly named the “bill stab”.
While a vast majority of their food is caught with this method, they are certainly not limited to the “bill stab”: blue herons can pluck prey off of the surface of the water with their feet, swim through deeper waters in search of food, pick up dead fish floating on the water’s surface, and even catch fish as they leap out of the water. Sometimes, they bite off more than they can chew… quite literally. They’ve been known to choke and sometimes die as a result of attempting to eat something bigger than they can handle.
Fish aren’t the only prey of blue herons. They also eat various insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, rodents, and small birds. Some even forage near people to collect food scraps – I guess you could say they’re the lanky, amphibious raccoons of the bird world. Or a very silly looking cousin of seagulls. I think that they kind of look like sharp, grey flamingos with a comb-over… Though, that’s beside the point.
Blue herons winter in warmer climates, and their range is expanding from southern states to Central America. In spring, female blue herons return to their nesting sites, which are the same spots that they return to year after year. While they nest in the same spot annually, they mate with different partners. They nest in colonies called “heronries”, and build large nests in trees (about 3-4 feet across) of mostly sticks and twigs. Heronries can be have upwards of 100 nests! When these communities have birds of mixed species, they’re called “rookeries”.
While March is one of the most unpredictable months of the year, it undeniably holds the hope of winter coming to a close. March signifies the beginning of brighter days ahead, and blue herons more than any other species fill me with the hope of sunshine and snowmelt.
Author - Meredith Maloney
2020 Nature Notes
January - chickadees
How Do One of the Smallest Birds Survive Minnesota Winters?
Black-capped chickadees may be one of the most easily recognizable birds both by their look and by their call: “chicka-dee-dee-dee”. However, did you know that chickadees are one of the smallest and hardiest birds that stays and faces Minnesota winters head on? Most people think about birds migrating south, moving to warmer locations, and living through the winter season in these areas. Have you ever considered how such a tiny bird like the chickadee manages to survive our harsh Minnesota winters?
One of my favorite classes to teach was about birds in the winter. Specifically chickadees because they have some great adaptations to survive the cold winter months. One of the chickadees adaptations is their memory. To demonstrate this to the students, we would take a handful of sunflower seeds and hide them outside before going on a birding hike, then we would have to come back 2 hours later and try to find all the seeds we hid. This activity opened the student’s eyes to how amazing chickadees memories are, because most of the students could not remember where they hid their seeds. Chickadees start to stash food in autumn to go back to on really cold and short days. Having extra stashes of food around is necessary for these birds since they are burning so much energy every day in order to keep their body temperature around 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, their half-inch coat of insulating feathers helps keep them warm. They fluff those feathers up at night to fill every inch of their roost cavities to keep out as much wind as possible. The most amazing adaptation is the fact that they have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia, which enables them to lower their body temperature about 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows them to conserve their fat storage and survive some of the coldest nights. Another great way to stay warm is to share a roost cavity and body heat with a fellow chickadee!
They flock together and hang out in the same place forming a social group of 6-10 birds during the daytime in the winter. One could see these social groups that chickadees form around feeders; sometimes nuthatches and downy woodpeckers will join these social groups which are called flocks. These flocks defend a territory of up to 20 acres and you can usually hear territory skirmishes surrounding the feeders. Listen for a “dee-dee” alarm sound when chickadees are defending their territory. There are many different communication sounds going on at your feeders, so get out there and listen!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
Black-capped chickadees may be one of the most easily recognizable birds both by their look and by their call: “chicka-dee-dee-dee”. However, did you know that chickadees are one of the smallest and hardiest birds that stays and faces Minnesota winters head on? Most people think about birds migrating south, moving to warmer locations, and living through the winter season in these areas. Have you ever considered how such a tiny bird like the chickadee manages to survive our harsh Minnesota winters?
One of my favorite classes to teach was about birds in the winter. Specifically chickadees because they have some great adaptations to survive the cold winter months. One of the chickadees adaptations is their memory. To demonstrate this to the students, we would take a handful of sunflower seeds and hide them outside before going on a birding hike, then we would have to come back 2 hours later and try to find all the seeds we hid. This activity opened the student’s eyes to how amazing chickadees memories are, because most of the students could not remember where they hid their seeds. Chickadees start to stash food in autumn to go back to on really cold and short days. Having extra stashes of food around is necessary for these birds since they are burning so much energy every day in order to keep their body temperature around 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, their half-inch coat of insulating feathers helps keep them warm. They fluff those feathers up at night to fill every inch of their roost cavities to keep out as much wind as possible. The most amazing adaptation is the fact that they have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia, which enables them to lower their body temperature about 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows them to conserve their fat storage and survive some of the coldest nights. Another great way to stay warm is to share a roost cavity and body heat with a fellow chickadee!
They flock together and hang out in the same place forming a social group of 6-10 birds during the daytime in the winter. One could see these social groups that chickadees form around feeders; sometimes nuthatches and downy woodpeckers will join these social groups which are called flocks. These flocks defend a territory of up to 20 acres and you can usually hear territory skirmishes surrounding the feeders. Listen for a “dee-dee” alarm sound when chickadees are defending their territory. There are many different communication sounds going on at your feeders, so get out there and listen!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
February - Frogs
Pictured: Nature Center's resident gray tree frog
Frogs in February?
Wintertime is the time that we think about hibernation, and usually we think of things like bears, chipmunks, bats, even groundhogs! But, what about some of our more cold-blooded animal friends? Different animals have different ways to help them get through the winter. Take frogs for example. In the midst of February it is extremely unlikely that you will come across a frog active anytime this month but they do not disappear, they are hunkered down for the cold. Some aquatic frogs like leopard frogs hang out under water all winter (below the ice, but not buried in mud) where they will slowly swim around. If we take a trek from the water onto land, we find other types of amphibians hibernating. The American toad has specially designed backed legs to dig and burrow down into the soil to wait out the cold winter months under the frost line. Some other smaller frogs that you can usually find on land here in Minnesota are ones like wood frogs, chorus frogs, spring peepers, and gray tree frogs. They do not have the adaptations to help burrow under soils so they have to settle for burying themselves underneath leaf litter as well as in cracks in the ground and in felled trees or logs. As you can imagine, the frost and frozen temperatures are not stopped by a mere 2 inches of leaves, nor does an old dead log provide protection from the freezing temperatures we are all accustomed to in the wintertime. How are the small, cold-blooded frogs supposed to survive the cold all winter long?
Believe it or not, the answer is antifreeze! The small terrestrial frogs that cannot escape the cold by burrowing under the frost line rely on a high concentration of glucose in vital organs to make sure that they do not freeze solid. The non-vital organs along with the rest of the body cavity will freeze completely through, ice crystals and all! The partially frozen frogs will not only stop breathing, but their heart will stop beating until the frog thaws back out. When a living creature stops breathing, its heart stops beating, and is frozen solid you would think it would be dead! Not these frogs! They just wait for the spring thaw when their heart and lungs defrost and can function again as if nothing ever happened.
Spring is about rebirth and for frogs, it sometimes means coming back from the dead! If you happen to come across a frog outside in your winter activities remember to leave it be. It is highly adapted for our Minnesota winters!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
March - Great Horned Owlets
Pictured: Baby Great Horned Owlets
Owlets in March?
You may be familiar with the famous call “whoo, whoo-hoo, whoo, whoo” belonging to the majestic Great Horned Owl. However, did you know that these owls are the earliest birds in the state to hatch their young? March is prime time for Great Horned Owls to hatch, although nesting can occur as early as December and January. In the dead of winter, Great Horned Owls will start their courtship ritual and begin to establish a territory. These birds are generally very aggressive and will often take over the nest of other birds instead of building their own. In late January and February, they will lay their eggs and incubate them for a period of 28-35 days. Females usually lay a small clutch of 2-3 eggs. Incubating eggs during February and March is a challenge due to fluctuating temperatures. Eggs must always be kept warm and if the eggs become too cold, they will not hatch.
So why do Great Horned Owls nest so early, if it carries a risk? As the largest North American owl species, the young develop slower than other birds. By nesting in the winter, Great Horned Owls ensure that their young will be ready to leave the nest at the peak of Spring. Hatching early allows more time to develop not only in size, but also for the young owlets to become master hunters. These owls have been nicknamed “Tigers of the sky”, due to their aggressive nature and ability to capture a wide variety of prey. They have an appetite for a wide range of small game like rabbits, squirrels, skunks, and other birds. On numerous occasions they have been known to grab prey 3 to 4 times their own body weight! To aid in the hunt, Great Horned Owls have an incredible sense of hearing. They can hear a small animal rustling in leaves at around 900 ft below them and even under a foot of snow! Contrary to popular belief, the tufts on the top of their head are not ears. These tufts are called plumicorns and their function is to help the owl camouflage in trees as well as express behavior. The real ears of the owl are located underneath feathers on the side of their head. In addition to incredible hearing, Great Horned Owls also have excellent eyesight that is triggered by movement. A Great Horned Owl is capable of spotting a mouse about a football field away, in both light and dark conditions. Its eyes are so large that they occupy 50% of the skull. If humans had the same eye to skull ratio as an owl, our eyes would be about the size of a grapefruit! The earlier Great Horned Owls hatch, the more practice time they get to hone their senses and become proficient hunters.
Next time you are out on a walk near the woods, look up into the trees and see if you can spot the fluffy silhouette of a Great Horned Owlet. They may look cute and fluffy now, but they will soon grow up to become true Tigers of the Sky.
Author: Alison Jennings - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
You may be familiar with the famous call “whoo, whoo-hoo, whoo, whoo” belonging to the majestic Great Horned Owl. However, did you know that these owls are the earliest birds in the state to hatch their young? March is prime time for Great Horned Owls to hatch, although nesting can occur as early as December and January. In the dead of winter, Great Horned Owls will start their courtship ritual and begin to establish a territory. These birds are generally very aggressive and will often take over the nest of other birds instead of building their own. In late January and February, they will lay their eggs and incubate them for a period of 28-35 days. Females usually lay a small clutch of 2-3 eggs. Incubating eggs during February and March is a challenge due to fluctuating temperatures. Eggs must always be kept warm and if the eggs become too cold, they will not hatch.
So why do Great Horned Owls nest so early, if it carries a risk? As the largest North American owl species, the young develop slower than other birds. By nesting in the winter, Great Horned Owls ensure that their young will be ready to leave the nest at the peak of Spring. Hatching early allows more time to develop not only in size, but also for the young owlets to become master hunters. These owls have been nicknamed “Tigers of the sky”, due to their aggressive nature and ability to capture a wide variety of prey. They have an appetite for a wide range of small game like rabbits, squirrels, skunks, and other birds. On numerous occasions they have been known to grab prey 3 to 4 times their own body weight! To aid in the hunt, Great Horned Owls have an incredible sense of hearing. They can hear a small animal rustling in leaves at around 900 ft below them and even under a foot of snow! Contrary to popular belief, the tufts on the top of their head are not ears. These tufts are called plumicorns and their function is to help the owl camouflage in trees as well as express behavior. The real ears of the owl are located underneath feathers on the side of their head. In addition to incredible hearing, Great Horned Owls also have excellent eyesight that is triggered by movement. A Great Horned Owl is capable of spotting a mouse about a football field away, in both light and dark conditions. Its eyes are so large that they occupy 50% of the skull. If humans had the same eye to skull ratio as an owl, our eyes would be about the size of a grapefruit! The earlier Great Horned Owls hatch, the more practice time they get to hone their senses and become proficient hunters.
Next time you are out on a walk near the woods, look up into the trees and see if you can spot the fluffy silhouette of a Great Horned Owlet. They may look cute and fluffy now, but they will soon grow up to become true Tigers of the Sky.
Author: Alison Jennings - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
April - spring critters
Julie holding a juvenile Barred Owl that fell out of its nest.
Orphaned Baby Animals
With spring comes baby critters. An orphan is defined when the critter’s parents are no longer present to feed and protect it. Before rescuing an animal make sure, it really needs help. Please remember that a young animal’s best chance for survival is to be raised by its natural mother. It is very important to make sure that every effort is made to try to return the young to its mother. If you have witnessed the death of its mother, it is obviously an orphan. However, a dead squirrel or rabbit in the street does not necessarily mean the squirrel or rabbit nest in your yard belongs to the dead critter. Many species have hiding techniques to protect their young. A good example are cottontail rabbits. They only visit their nest at dawn and dusk to feed their offspring so you usually do not see the parent during the day. They stay away from the nest during the day because they do not want to attract the attention of predators. If you find a nest of baby rabbits and believe the mother is missing lay sticks in a specific pattern around the nest or spread flour. Come back the next day and see if the flour or sticks have been disturbed. If the sticks have been moved or you see tracks in the flour and the infants appear to be fine, the mother has made a visit to the nest and the animals are not really orphans. The mother will accept humans have touched her offspring even after returning the critter to the nest. It is a myth that a wild animal mother of any species will reject her baby if a human touched it. Please do not remove the babies from the nest for an extended period of time. Just think how the mother would feel if her baby were gone for overnight. She may think a predator has taken her young and abandon the nest site. Returning an orphan to their nest or making a temporary nest as soon as possible is the best answer for baby critters. If you find a baby bird on the ground and are not sure what tree or where the nest is, get a small to medium wicker or weaved basket that allows water to flow through and put nesting materials (finely shredded paper or crushed leaves) in with the baby bird and hang it securely up in a tree. The baby bird’s vocal cries will bring the mother back. Just because the baby bird is out of the nest does not mean it is an orphan. Even if the baby critters are on the ground or out of the nest, the parents will continue to feed and protect them. Older juvenile birds are “fledglings or branchers” and are trying out their new flight wings. They cannot completely fly yet and end up being cared for on the ground by their parents. The concern is that predators such as cats, dogs, fox and raccoons will prey upon exposed youngsters. Getting them back up on to a tree limb helps these critters survive. Fawns are often left alone by their mother for periods of time. The mother does not want to attract predators to their young. Rest assured they are close to them. Please leave the fawns where you found them. The mother will soon return unless you have witnessed her death.
An important note is that it is illegal to keep wild animals without a wildlife rehabilitation license. Only a person with proper skills, facilities, equipment and knowledge can raise a healthy baby critter and release it with a good chance of survival. Taking care of wild animals means devoting a great deal of time and energy in meeting their needs. For example, mother songbirds feed their young about 4 to 12 times an hour 24 hours a day during their first days of life.
The staff at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center take in ONLY birds of prey, like a hawk, owl or an eagle. The JCHNC staff provides primary/triage care and will make the best decision regarding treatment and transport the injured raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. We do not have the facilities, extra staff or expertise to provide care for mammals, waterfowl, reptiles or songbirds.
If you find an injured mammal, reptile, waterfowl or songbird other than a raptor the closest free rehabilitation center is in Roseville, Minnesota. You can transport the injured animal to 2530 Dale Street North, Roseville. The phone number is 651-486-9453. The Roseville Wildife Rehabilitation Center is an emergency hospital and clinic that provides free medical care for over 200 different species of injured or orphaned wild animals. The Nature Center does not transport animals to this facility.
Wild critters are meant to be in the wild. If animals grow up unafraid of humans they will have no chance to survive in the wild once released. Sometimes it is necessary to intervene and help the animal that is orphaned or injured. Working together we can offer many young critters a second chance at life in the wild. Please remember if you find an injured hawk, owl or eagle in Mower County call the Nature Center at 507-437-7519 and we will do our best to rescue the raptor, assess its status and transport the raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for treatment.
Author: Julie Champlin - Office Manager
With spring comes baby critters. An orphan is defined when the critter’s parents are no longer present to feed and protect it. Before rescuing an animal make sure, it really needs help. Please remember that a young animal’s best chance for survival is to be raised by its natural mother. It is very important to make sure that every effort is made to try to return the young to its mother. If you have witnessed the death of its mother, it is obviously an orphan. However, a dead squirrel or rabbit in the street does not necessarily mean the squirrel or rabbit nest in your yard belongs to the dead critter. Many species have hiding techniques to protect their young. A good example are cottontail rabbits. They only visit their nest at dawn and dusk to feed their offspring so you usually do not see the parent during the day. They stay away from the nest during the day because they do not want to attract the attention of predators. If you find a nest of baby rabbits and believe the mother is missing lay sticks in a specific pattern around the nest or spread flour. Come back the next day and see if the flour or sticks have been disturbed. If the sticks have been moved or you see tracks in the flour and the infants appear to be fine, the mother has made a visit to the nest and the animals are not really orphans. The mother will accept humans have touched her offspring even after returning the critter to the nest. It is a myth that a wild animal mother of any species will reject her baby if a human touched it. Please do not remove the babies from the nest for an extended period of time. Just think how the mother would feel if her baby were gone for overnight. She may think a predator has taken her young and abandon the nest site. Returning an orphan to their nest or making a temporary nest as soon as possible is the best answer for baby critters. If you find a baby bird on the ground and are not sure what tree or where the nest is, get a small to medium wicker or weaved basket that allows water to flow through and put nesting materials (finely shredded paper or crushed leaves) in with the baby bird and hang it securely up in a tree. The baby bird’s vocal cries will bring the mother back. Just because the baby bird is out of the nest does not mean it is an orphan. Even if the baby critters are on the ground or out of the nest, the parents will continue to feed and protect them. Older juvenile birds are “fledglings or branchers” and are trying out their new flight wings. They cannot completely fly yet and end up being cared for on the ground by their parents. The concern is that predators such as cats, dogs, fox and raccoons will prey upon exposed youngsters. Getting them back up on to a tree limb helps these critters survive. Fawns are often left alone by their mother for periods of time. The mother does not want to attract predators to their young. Rest assured they are close to them. Please leave the fawns where you found them. The mother will soon return unless you have witnessed her death.
An important note is that it is illegal to keep wild animals without a wildlife rehabilitation license. Only a person with proper skills, facilities, equipment and knowledge can raise a healthy baby critter and release it with a good chance of survival. Taking care of wild animals means devoting a great deal of time and energy in meeting their needs. For example, mother songbirds feed their young about 4 to 12 times an hour 24 hours a day during their first days of life.
The staff at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center take in ONLY birds of prey, like a hawk, owl or an eagle. The JCHNC staff provides primary/triage care and will make the best decision regarding treatment and transport the injured raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. We do not have the facilities, extra staff or expertise to provide care for mammals, waterfowl, reptiles or songbirds.
If you find an injured mammal, reptile, waterfowl or songbird other than a raptor the closest free rehabilitation center is in Roseville, Minnesota. You can transport the injured animal to 2530 Dale Street North, Roseville. The phone number is 651-486-9453. The Roseville Wildife Rehabilitation Center is an emergency hospital and clinic that provides free medical care for over 200 different species of injured or orphaned wild animals. The Nature Center does not transport animals to this facility.
Wild critters are meant to be in the wild. If animals grow up unafraid of humans they will have no chance to survive in the wild once released. Sometimes it is necessary to intervene and help the animal that is orphaned or injured. Working together we can offer many young critters a second chance at life in the wild. Please remember if you find an injured hawk, owl or eagle in Mower County call the Nature Center at 507-437-7519 and we will do our best to rescue the raptor, assess its status and transport the raptor to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for treatment.
Author: Julie Champlin - Office Manager
May - trout habitat
With the addition of rainbow trout to Mower County’s Wolf Creek it will give local anglers a place closer to home to fish for trout. This is exciting and long awaited news for many, but how did Wolf Creek get picked and why is it good location for trout?
Here at the Nature Center we teach Austin 7th graders all about water/ stream ecology. Something that we stress in our curriculum is how everything is connected, not only in the water itself but also actions that take place on land. All the land around a stream that drains into a stream is called the stream’s watershed. The water and everything that depends on it, is affected by what happens on the land in the watershed. That’s why when looking for good trout habitat we first have to look to the land in the watershed. Talking with James Fett, Watershed Technician at Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District he stated “that projects like Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), MNCREP and Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) have permanently restored acres of wetland and prairies around Wolf Creek to help reduce sediment and nutrient concentrations.” What we like to emphasize to the 7th graders about projects like these is that if these projects did not exists sediment flowing into the stream from floods or heavy rainfall would cover the rocky bottom of the stream bed, destroying habitat for small aquatic animals that larger animals depend on. Covering the rocky bottom also decreases ripples in the water, which decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen for fish to use. Sediment also makes the water cloudy which if the water continues to stay murky and cloudy the temperature of the stream will increase.
During our 7th grade class we test Dobbins Creek for common nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen and the pH levels. If there are too high concentrations of these nutrients, plant matter grows very fast and it will eventually outgrow the demand of the food chain. With an increase of plant matter growth, usually algae, comes higher pH levels which can be deadly to most aquatic life. As the plant matter starts to die and is decomposed by microorganisms, dissolved oxygen is consumed as well, leaving less oxygen in the water for aquatic life. Trout need a significant amount of dissolved oxygen to survive. When we talk about dissolved oxygen we also talk about water temperature because trout need fairly cold water temperatures of about 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. According to James Fett, “Wolf Creek is colder than many others in our area thanks to groundwater and spring outflow in Todd Park.” Colder water temperatures also hold onto more dissolved oxygen, which in turn is able to support a larger population of trout.
In order for trout stocking and fishing to continue, good trout habitat has to continue to be maintained. That is why programs like these are so important and have a great impact on the environment around us. Now more people are becoming connected to the land, their local watershed, and their waterways, thanks to the work that has been done to stock trout in Wolf Creek.
Author: Teacher/Naturalist Sydney Weisigner
Here at the Nature Center we teach Austin 7th graders all about water/ stream ecology. Something that we stress in our curriculum is how everything is connected, not only in the water itself but also actions that take place on land. All the land around a stream that drains into a stream is called the stream’s watershed. The water and everything that depends on it, is affected by what happens on the land in the watershed. That’s why when looking for good trout habitat we first have to look to the land in the watershed. Talking with James Fett, Watershed Technician at Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District he stated “that projects like Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), MNCREP and Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) have permanently restored acres of wetland and prairies around Wolf Creek to help reduce sediment and nutrient concentrations.” What we like to emphasize to the 7th graders about projects like these is that if these projects did not exists sediment flowing into the stream from floods or heavy rainfall would cover the rocky bottom of the stream bed, destroying habitat for small aquatic animals that larger animals depend on. Covering the rocky bottom also decreases ripples in the water, which decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen for fish to use. Sediment also makes the water cloudy which if the water continues to stay murky and cloudy the temperature of the stream will increase.
During our 7th grade class we test Dobbins Creek for common nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen and the pH levels. If there are too high concentrations of these nutrients, plant matter grows very fast and it will eventually outgrow the demand of the food chain. With an increase of plant matter growth, usually algae, comes higher pH levels which can be deadly to most aquatic life. As the plant matter starts to die and is decomposed by microorganisms, dissolved oxygen is consumed as well, leaving less oxygen in the water for aquatic life. Trout need a significant amount of dissolved oxygen to survive. When we talk about dissolved oxygen we also talk about water temperature because trout need fairly cold water temperatures of about 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. According to James Fett, “Wolf Creek is colder than many others in our area thanks to groundwater and spring outflow in Todd Park.” Colder water temperatures also hold onto more dissolved oxygen, which in turn is able to support a larger population of trout.
In order for trout stocking and fishing to continue, good trout habitat has to continue to be maintained. That is why programs like these are so important and have a great impact on the environment around us. Now more people are becoming connected to the land, their local watershed, and their waterways, thanks to the work that has been done to stock trout in Wolf Creek.
Author: Teacher/Naturalist Sydney Weisigner
June - CURIOUS CRUSTACEANS
Crayfish caught at the Nature Center in Dobbins Creek.
Crayfish, Crawfish, crawdad, mud bug. A variety of different names to describe a very abundant crustacean. Crayfish are cousins to lobsters and can be found on five continents. There are well over 200 species of crayfish in North America alone. It can survive in diverse fresh or salt water habitats. Here in Minnesota you can find them in rivers, ponds, lakes, streams, you name it, as long as there is clean enough water and abundant food for them the crayfish will thrive.
Crayfish are one of the most well-known freshwater crustacean and a frequent resident of Dobbins Creek out at the Hormel Nature Center. They have a lot of unique adaptations to make living in so many aquatic ecosystems around the world possible. Four pairs of walking legs make locomotion on land or in the water relatively easy. However, if the crayfish under water needs a faster mode of transportation it will swim. Crayfish move forward slow and steadily when walking, but when swimming it’s a quick propulsion backwards with a flick of their abdomen (tail part).
Large claws are used to defend themselves or crush and tear food into manageable pieces to eat. Small arm like appendages will then funnel food into its mouth. A crayfish’s food could be anything! They are omnivores so will eat whatever that they can get their hands on consuming aquatic plants, decaying leaves, shrimp, small fish or insects, and even other crayfish!
These small crustaceans are extremely territorial and will defend their dominions underwater with gusto so can be found constantly fighting. When having to rage through many battles in their lifetime, it is no surprise that there are losses that go along with it. The loser of a battle may be eaten, but other times they may just lose a limb or one of their claws. If an injury to a leg or claw gets torn off it is not the end of the world because crayfish have the ability to regrow a lost limb! If you have ever come across a crayfish with one claw, or one big and one really small the small one is just going through the process of regeneration.
Not only is regeneration of lost limbs super cool to see on crayfish, it could potentially have an impact for us humans! There are some biologists that have been studying mechanisms for neural regeneration and repair in crayfish (a fancy way of saying why crayfish can regrow a lost limb). But, not only can crayfish regenerate a leg, or one of its claws, but this organism is constantly regenerating neurons to help with their senses/brain activity. This has scientists fascinated and they have been studying the subject in depth to gain a better understanding of how it works so it can be used for human medical research! Who knows, maybe someday far in the future people will be able to regrow a lost hand thanks to understanding how a crayfish does it. A crazy thought to think about the next time you encounter these Minnesota native crustaceans.
By: Kelly Bahl Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Crayfish are one of the most well-known freshwater crustacean and a frequent resident of Dobbins Creek out at the Hormel Nature Center. They have a lot of unique adaptations to make living in so many aquatic ecosystems around the world possible. Four pairs of walking legs make locomotion on land or in the water relatively easy. However, if the crayfish under water needs a faster mode of transportation it will swim. Crayfish move forward slow and steadily when walking, but when swimming it’s a quick propulsion backwards with a flick of their abdomen (tail part).
Large claws are used to defend themselves or crush and tear food into manageable pieces to eat. Small arm like appendages will then funnel food into its mouth. A crayfish’s food could be anything! They are omnivores so will eat whatever that they can get their hands on consuming aquatic plants, decaying leaves, shrimp, small fish or insects, and even other crayfish!
These small crustaceans are extremely territorial and will defend their dominions underwater with gusto so can be found constantly fighting. When having to rage through many battles in their lifetime, it is no surprise that there are losses that go along with it. The loser of a battle may be eaten, but other times they may just lose a limb or one of their claws. If an injury to a leg or claw gets torn off it is not the end of the world because crayfish have the ability to regrow a lost limb! If you have ever come across a crayfish with one claw, or one big and one really small the small one is just going through the process of regeneration.
Not only is regeneration of lost limbs super cool to see on crayfish, it could potentially have an impact for us humans! There are some biologists that have been studying mechanisms for neural regeneration and repair in crayfish (a fancy way of saying why crayfish can regrow a lost limb). But, not only can crayfish regenerate a leg, or one of its claws, but this organism is constantly regenerating neurons to help with their senses/brain activity. This has scientists fascinated and they have been studying the subject in depth to gain a better understanding of how it works so it can be used for human medical research! Who knows, maybe someday far in the future people will be able to regrow a lost hand thanks to understanding how a crayfish does it. A crazy thought to think about the next time you encounter these Minnesota native crustaceans.
By: Kelly Bahl Teacher/Naturalist Intern
JULY - ACROBATS OF THE SKY
Dragonflies and damselflies are the true acrobats of the sky. They can fly side to side, upside down and turn 360 degrees in a split second. They can also fly vertically like a helicopter shooting straight up in the air, hover motionless and fly backwards with as much skill as they can fly forward. Dragonflies are the only insects that fly backwards. They are truly amazing. If you do see dragonflies and damselflies buzz by your garden, lake home, boat dock, rivers or playgrounds it is definitely something to celebrate. These insects spend most of their life as nymphs in the water, so they only thrive in places, where pond, lake or river quality is good.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, dragonflies and their close relatives called damselflies are ancient insects and prehistoric reminders of the age of the dinosaurs. Enormous dragonflies with a wingspread up to 30 inches across and 18 inches in length existed about 250-325 million years ago as compared to present day 4-7 inch wingspread and in 1-4 inches in length. It is believed that prehistoric insects were much larger than modern day insects because of the high concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere, about 35 percent. That percentage has decreased since the days of the dinosaurs and is now about 21 percent.
Even with major changes in the landscape over millions of years, dragonflies have continued to adapt and are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are an estimated 5,500 to 6,500 dragonfly and damselfly species in the world. In Minnesota, there are about 151 total species with 53 species in Mower County according to Odonata Central.
A few years ago, Kurt Mead, the head Interpretive Naturalist at Minnesota’s Tettegouche State Park along the North Shore of Lake Superior presented a program for staff and the public at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center on dragonflies and damselflies. He is also the founder and former coordinator for the Minnesota Odonata Survey Project and helped form the non-profit Minnesota Dragonfly Society. He is the author of the comprehensive field guide “Dragonflies of the North Woods”. Kurt’s presentation was enlightening and informative and a perfect pairing with our aquatic curriculum. Scooping the pond for aquatic critters is a favorite field trip activity at the Nature Center for all ages. We get excited when patrons scoop the pond and find dragonfly or damselfly nymphs and like to share information about their life cycle.
Dragonflies have special adaptations to survive as a nymph and as an adult in capturing their food. As a nymph, the dragonfly larvae hunts voraciously with a special tool called a “mask” or a hinged labium. It looks like a lower mandible that is folded and held on the lower face of the nymph. It extends forward in 25 milliseconds to capture mosquito larvae, tadpoles, small fish, snails and worms. They will even eat each other. They breathe through gills in their rectum and can rapidly propel themselves forward by suddenly expelling water through the anus. Eastern Pond Hawk nymphs can shoot their fecal material out 23 feet when propelling themselves forward. They are “jet” propelled. The larvae stage can last between two months and 5 years or more depending on the species. When it is time to metaphase into an adult, the nymph stops eating and climbs up a reed or a plant. The skin begins to split behind the head and back and the adult dragonfly emerges. They pump haemolymph blood into their wings to harden and expand them to prepare for flight. Besides being excellent fliers, adult dragonflies have 30,000 lenses to help locate their food. They capture their prey in flight and eat a large variety of insects ranging from small midges, mosquitos, flies, butterflies, moths, damselflies and smaller dragonflies.
I am not a fan of mosquitos, so I like the fact that dragonflies feed on mosquito larvae as a nymph and will eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitos daily as an adult. They are often called “mosquito hawks”. Take some time to observe dragonflies and damselflies the next time you are at the Nature Center. You can identify a dragonfly as they perch with their wings apart and a damselfly perches with their wings together. I have a favorite Advice from a Dragonfly tee shirt that states we all should spend time near the water, be colorful, enjoy a good reed, zoom in on your dreams, appreciate long summer days, and just wing it! Sound advice from ancient insects!
Author: Julie Champlin
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, dragonflies and their close relatives called damselflies are ancient insects and prehistoric reminders of the age of the dinosaurs. Enormous dragonflies with a wingspread up to 30 inches across and 18 inches in length existed about 250-325 million years ago as compared to present day 4-7 inch wingspread and in 1-4 inches in length. It is believed that prehistoric insects were much larger than modern day insects because of the high concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere, about 35 percent. That percentage has decreased since the days of the dinosaurs and is now about 21 percent.
Even with major changes in the landscape over millions of years, dragonflies have continued to adapt and are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are an estimated 5,500 to 6,500 dragonfly and damselfly species in the world. In Minnesota, there are about 151 total species with 53 species in Mower County according to Odonata Central.
A few years ago, Kurt Mead, the head Interpretive Naturalist at Minnesota’s Tettegouche State Park along the North Shore of Lake Superior presented a program for staff and the public at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center on dragonflies and damselflies. He is also the founder and former coordinator for the Minnesota Odonata Survey Project and helped form the non-profit Minnesota Dragonfly Society. He is the author of the comprehensive field guide “Dragonflies of the North Woods”. Kurt’s presentation was enlightening and informative and a perfect pairing with our aquatic curriculum. Scooping the pond for aquatic critters is a favorite field trip activity at the Nature Center for all ages. We get excited when patrons scoop the pond and find dragonfly or damselfly nymphs and like to share information about their life cycle.
Dragonflies have special adaptations to survive as a nymph and as an adult in capturing their food. As a nymph, the dragonfly larvae hunts voraciously with a special tool called a “mask” or a hinged labium. It looks like a lower mandible that is folded and held on the lower face of the nymph. It extends forward in 25 milliseconds to capture mosquito larvae, tadpoles, small fish, snails and worms. They will even eat each other. They breathe through gills in their rectum and can rapidly propel themselves forward by suddenly expelling water through the anus. Eastern Pond Hawk nymphs can shoot their fecal material out 23 feet when propelling themselves forward. They are “jet” propelled. The larvae stage can last between two months and 5 years or more depending on the species. When it is time to metaphase into an adult, the nymph stops eating and climbs up a reed or a plant. The skin begins to split behind the head and back and the adult dragonfly emerges. They pump haemolymph blood into their wings to harden and expand them to prepare for flight. Besides being excellent fliers, adult dragonflies have 30,000 lenses to help locate their food. They capture their prey in flight and eat a large variety of insects ranging from small midges, mosquitos, flies, butterflies, moths, damselflies and smaller dragonflies.
I am not a fan of mosquitos, so I like the fact that dragonflies feed on mosquito larvae as a nymph and will eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitos daily as an adult. They are often called “mosquito hawks”. Take some time to observe dragonflies and damselflies the next time you are at the Nature Center. You can identify a dragonfly as they perch with their wings apart and a damselfly perches with their wings together. I have a favorite Advice from a Dragonfly tee shirt that states we all should spend time near the water, be colorful, enjoy a good reed, zoom in on your dreams, appreciate long summer days, and just wing it! Sound advice from ancient insects!
Author: Julie Champlin
August - Jewels of the sky
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Lovingly referred to as ‘jewels of the sky’, most people have a fascination with hummingbirds. They come in many colors with names like Sapphire-bellied, Honduran Emerald, Blue-throated Mountain-gem, and Ruby-throated. As the only regular hummingbird found east of the Mississippi River, most of us are familiar with the Ruby-Throated. The striking red and green coloration, make the Ruby-Throated hummingbird a beautiful sight to behold. The red feathers appear on the throat or the “gorget” of the male Ruby-throated hummingbird. As with many species of birds, the males are more colorful than the females. If you manage to get close enough, you may notice that female Ruby-Throated hummingbirds have a single red feather on their gorget. Male hummingbirds use their bright red gorgets to attract potential mates. These beautiful birds are Minnesota’s smallest bird and only hummingbird migrant.
Hummingbirds get their name from the humming sound they make when they fly. These little birds move at an impressive speed, moving their wings at about 60-70 beats per second. It is said that they can fly at speeds of up to 35 mph! They move so fast that many people only ever catch a glimpse of them. Since hummingbirds fly in a similar pattern to insects, they are sometimes confused for larger insects and moths. Many moth species in the genus Hemaris, are called Hummingbird moths because they are often seen flitting around from flower to flower in search of nectar.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are migratory visitors to Minnesota. Spending the winter in Mexico and Central America, they migrate to Minnesota in early Summer for their breeding season. By mid-August, Ruby throated Hummingbirds are starting to prepare for their journey South. There are biological and environmental triggers that spur hummingbird migration. Changes in sunlight and food availability signal that it is time to migrate. Before migration, hummingbirds will molt their old feathers and pack on extra weight to prepare for the long and tiring journey to their winter grounds. A hummingbird will double its body weight in order to complete the 3,000-mile trip from Minnesota to Mexico.
In the summer, many people enjoy putting out feeders to watch these little birds in action. Those with flowering pollinator gardens will also attract hummingbirds. Native plants with tubed, funneled, or cup shaped flowers, are especially attractive to hummingbirds. Popular choices are Bergamot, Cardinal Flower, Phlox and Columbine. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, so red feeders and flowers are a good choice. Even though nectar makes up a large part of their diet, hummingbirds also need protein. They get this additional protein by eating smaller insects. Hummingbirds are not only fun to watch, but they are essential pollinators. It is said that 75% of the world’s flowers rely on insects, birds and bats for pollination. Hummingbirds pollinate flowers in our parks and gardens, adding a splash of color to our lives.
Author: Alison Jennings Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Hummingbirds get their name from the humming sound they make when they fly. These little birds move at an impressive speed, moving their wings at about 60-70 beats per second. It is said that they can fly at speeds of up to 35 mph! They move so fast that many people only ever catch a glimpse of them. Since hummingbirds fly in a similar pattern to insects, they are sometimes confused for larger insects and moths. Many moth species in the genus Hemaris, are called Hummingbird moths because they are often seen flitting around from flower to flower in search of nectar.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are migratory visitors to Minnesota. Spending the winter in Mexico and Central America, they migrate to Minnesota in early Summer for their breeding season. By mid-August, Ruby throated Hummingbirds are starting to prepare for their journey South. There are biological and environmental triggers that spur hummingbird migration. Changes in sunlight and food availability signal that it is time to migrate. Before migration, hummingbirds will molt their old feathers and pack on extra weight to prepare for the long and tiring journey to their winter grounds. A hummingbird will double its body weight in order to complete the 3,000-mile trip from Minnesota to Mexico.
In the summer, many people enjoy putting out feeders to watch these little birds in action. Those with flowering pollinator gardens will also attract hummingbirds. Native plants with tubed, funneled, or cup shaped flowers, are especially attractive to hummingbirds. Popular choices are Bergamot, Cardinal Flower, Phlox and Columbine. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, so red feeders and flowers are a good choice. Even though nectar makes up a large part of their diet, hummingbirds also need protein. They get this additional protein by eating smaller insects. Hummingbirds are not only fun to watch, but they are essential pollinators. It is said that 75% of the world’s flowers rely on insects, birds and bats for pollination. Hummingbirds pollinate flowers in our parks and gardens, adding a splash of color to our lives.
Author: Alison Jennings Teacher/Naturalist Intern
SEPTEMBER - FLIGHT OF THE MONARCHS
Flight of the Monarchs
Summer is always filled with the familiar sights of orange and black wings floating past you in the sky. These familiar colors belong to the Monarch butterflies. Every year at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, we teach about, collect, and tag Monarch caterpillars and butterflies. The first class we offer focuses on the life cycle of Monarchs and helping the students find a caterpillar of their own to take home and raise. The second class we offer focuses on monarch tagging.
You can find the brightly stripped black, yellow and white monarch caterpillars on milkweed leaves usually starting mid-end of June. This year we noticed a slow start to the monarch caterpillar population but it has picked up as the summer has gone on. We think this had to do with a smaller number of milkweed production and a slower start to the growing season for milkweed this year. Monarchs need milkweed plants to attach their eggs to and it is the monarch caterpillar’s only source of food. Since milkweed has toxic properties, when the caterpillar consumes it, it is able to take on the toxic properties itself! A caterpillar will consume 20-30 milkweed leaves and increase their weight by 3,000 times before they’re fully grown. Another fun fact, that either grosses out or totally amazes the kids that care for monarch caterpillars every summer is that caterpillars molt their skin 5 times and will actually turn around and eat it afterwards! The molt is actually a very nutrient rich treat for them. The caterpillar will then go into a chrysalis, not a cocoon because it does not have a silken covering. There the body of the caterpillar will break down and change into a liquid before reforming into the organs and wings of a butterfly. The whole egg to butterfly life cycle takes anywhere from 21-31 days before emerging as a monarch butterfly.
Once the monarch butterfly emerges it goes on a feeding frenzy of nectar from flowers. Right now they are loving the colors purple and yellow (one of our students pointed out that they must be Vikings fans!). Plants such as blazing star, thistle, and goldenrod provide a good late season source of nectar for migrating monarch butterflies. Typically a monarch butterfly will live for about 2-5 weeks and reproduce during that time. If they emerge after about August 15th, they will live 8-9 months to survive migration and their overwinter sites in Mexico. During this time period they enter a physiological state called “reproductive diapause” or arrested development to put a pause on reproduction. They will not lay eggs or mate until this ends in late winter or early spring. At the Nature Center we participate in tagging monarch butterflies. The purpose of tagging is to figure out where the monarchs were originally tagged and where they ended up. This can also help researchers determine the pathways taken by migrating monarchs. Researchers have also been able to study weather patterns and weather events in conjunction with recovered monarch tags to determine the effects weather has on migrating populations. Monarch tagging has been essential for researchers to study the population numbers of monarch butterflies. Research has found that there has been a decline of monarch butterflies over the past 10 years. They think this is due to deforestation in their over-wintering sites in Mexico, loss of habitat in summer locations, and weather conditions or events. Fortunately, in the last 2 years the numbers have been increasing. Scientist think this has to do with favorable weather conditions and increase in education of the general population which has helped increase the habitat for milkweed.
Even with a slower start to the milkweed growing season and caterpillar production this summer, it is looking like it is going to be a great tagging season. Hopefully this will mean more monarchs will complete their migration to Mexico and we will have more monarchs making their way back to us in the spring. So far we have tagged almost 200 monarchs in 2 weeks!
By: Sydney Weisinger - Teacher/Naturalist
Summer is always filled with the familiar sights of orange and black wings floating past you in the sky. These familiar colors belong to the Monarch butterflies. Every year at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, we teach about, collect, and tag Monarch caterpillars and butterflies. The first class we offer focuses on the life cycle of Monarchs and helping the students find a caterpillar of their own to take home and raise. The second class we offer focuses on monarch tagging.
You can find the brightly stripped black, yellow and white monarch caterpillars on milkweed leaves usually starting mid-end of June. This year we noticed a slow start to the monarch caterpillar population but it has picked up as the summer has gone on. We think this had to do with a smaller number of milkweed production and a slower start to the growing season for milkweed this year. Monarchs need milkweed plants to attach their eggs to and it is the monarch caterpillar’s only source of food. Since milkweed has toxic properties, when the caterpillar consumes it, it is able to take on the toxic properties itself! A caterpillar will consume 20-30 milkweed leaves and increase their weight by 3,000 times before they’re fully grown. Another fun fact, that either grosses out or totally amazes the kids that care for monarch caterpillars every summer is that caterpillars molt their skin 5 times and will actually turn around and eat it afterwards! The molt is actually a very nutrient rich treat for them. The caterpillar will then go into a chrysalis, not a cocoon because it does not have a silken covering. There the body of the caterpillar will break down and change into a liquid before reforming into the organs and wings of a butterfly. The whole egg to butterfly life cycle takes anywhere from 21-31 days before emerging as a monarch butterfly.
Once the monarch butterfly emerges it goes on a feeding frenzy of nectar from flowers. Right now they are loving the colors purple and yellow (one of our students pointed out that they must be Vikings fans!). Plants such as blazing star, thistle, and goldenrod provide a good late season source of nectar for migrating monarch butterflies. Typically a monarch butterfly will live for about 2-5 weeks and reproduce during that time. If they emerge after about August 15th, they will live 8-9 months to survive migration and their overwinter sites in Mexico. During this time period they enter a physiological state called “reproductive diapause” or arrested development to put a pause on reproduction. They will not lay eggs or mate until this ends in late winter or early spring. At the Nature Center we participate in tagging monarch butterflies. The purpose of tagging is to figure out where the monarchs were originally tagged and where they ended up. This can also help researchers determine the pathways taken by migrating monarchs. Researchers have also been able to study weather patterns and weather events in conjunction with recovered monarch tags to determine the effects weather has on migrating populations. Monarch tagging has been essential for researchers to study the population numbers of monarch butterflies. Research has found that there has been a decline of monarch butterflies over the past 10 years. They think this is due to deforestation in their over-wintering sites in Mexico, loss of habitat in summer locations, and weather conditions or events. Fortunately, in the last 2 years the numbers have been increasing. Scientist think this has to do with favorable weather conditions and increase in education of the general population which has helped increase the habitat for milkweed.
Even with a slower start to the milkweed growing season and caterpillar production this summer, it is looking like it is going to be a great tagging season. Hopefully this will mean more monarchs will complete their migration to Mexico and we will have more monarchs making their way back to us in the spring. So far we have tagged almost 200 monarchs in 2 weeks!
By: Sydney Weisinger - Teacher/Naturalist
OCTOBER - MOTHER NATURE'S FALL FANFARE
Mother Nature’s Fall Fanfare
When people think of fall, many different thoughts run through their heads. There are thoughts of cooler weather, sweaters, bonfires, apple orchards, and pumpkin spice everything. Even the natural world partakes in fall festivities. One of the favorite telltale signs of fall is the show that trees put on when their leaves change color. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why?
Leaves are green because of little tiny things called chlorophyll inside the plant cell. The chlorophyll is what is in charge of the process of photosynthesis, which makes food for the tree! When light shines on the leaf and enters the chlorophyll red and blue light get absorbed. Green light reflected off the chlorophyll makes the leaves appear green. By fall, the trees have stored a bunch of food so it does not need to make any more for the season. When fall approaches and daylight hours shorten photosynthesis stops and the chlorophyll disappears. Leaving behind certain pigments in the leaf to show off the fall colors we all come to expect.
The base colors for most leaves are yellows and oranges. However, the brilliance and vibrancy of the leaves depends on current and past weather conditions. If there is cool air at night, but not freezing, with days full of sunshine the trees will show more red and purple pigments. Too cold of weather with freezing conditions early into fall will end the colorful foliage abruptly. The best weather for bright varying colors of leaves requires ample moisture during the growing season followed by cool and dry weather in late summer and early fall along with a lot of sunshine. Since there can be countless possibilities of what the temperature and moisture levels can be like in any given year that means that no two autumns will ever look the same. This autumn we have seen the tree colors starting to peak slightly earlier than the past couple years. If you want to see the brilliant show this fall season has in store for us, get outside and explore before it is too late!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Naturalist/Intern
When people think of fall, many different thoughts run through their heads. There are thoughts of cooler weather, sweaters, bonfires, apple orchards, and pumpkin spice everything. Even the natural world partakes in fall festivities. One of the favorite telltale signs of fall is the show that trees put on when their leaves change color. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why?
Leaves are green because of little tiny things called chlorophyll inside the plant cell. The chlorophyll is what is in charge of the process of photosynthesis, which makes food for the tree! When light shines on the leaf and enters the chlorophyll red and blue light get absorbed. Green light reflected off the chlorophyll makes the leaves appear green. By fall, the trees have stored a bunch of food so it does not need to make any more for the season. When fall approaches and daylight hours shorten photosynthesis stops and the chlorophyll disappears. Leaving behind certain pigments in the leaf to show off the fall colors we all come to expect.
The base colors for most leaves are yellows and oranges. However, the brilliance and vibrancy of the leaves depends on current and past weather conditions. If there is cool air at night, but not freezing, with days full of sunshine the trees will show more red and purple pigments. Too cold of weather with freezing conditions early into fall will end the colorful foliage abruptly. The best weather for bright varying colors of leaves requires ample moisture during the growing season followed by cool and dry weather in late summer and early fall along with a lot of sunshine. Since there can be countless possibilities of what the temperature and moisture levels can be like in any given year that means that no two autumns will ever look the same. This autumn we have seen the tree colors starting to peak slightly earlier than the past couple years. If you want to see the brilliant show this fall season has in store for us, get outside and explore before it is too late!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Naturalist/Intern
NOVEMBER - FALL MIGRATION OF BALD EAGLES
Fall Migration of Bald Eagles
As the National Bird of the United States of America, most people are familiar with the Bald Eagle. They occupy a range throughout the contiguous U.S and northern Mexico. As with most birds we see here in Minnesota, Eagles start to migrate to their wintering grounds in the Fall. But did you know that some Bald Eagles don’t travel very far at all, some even stay in Minnesota!
In early November, Bald Eagles begin to leave their summer homes in Canada and Northern Minnesota to move south for the winter. This migration is spurred on by the drop in temperature and scarcity of food resources. Some Bald Eagles move farther south to states along the coast, while others prefer to overwinter in Southern Minnesota. Popular spots for Bald Eagles are at Red Wing and Wabasha, both near areas of open water that don’t freeze over. When migrating south, Bald Eagles look for two things: ample tree cover and open water. To survive throughout the winter, they need a constant available food supply in the form of fish, waterfowl and small mammals. Trees provide a suitable roosting spot for Bald Eagles to rest at night. Larger trees are preferred because Bald Eagles like to roost together in groups. These group trees are called communal roost trees and Eagles often come back to the same tree year after year! These large trees provide shelter from the wind, but they also provide an opportunity for Eagles to communicate with each other. Bald Eagles are social animals and communal roost trees encourage pair bonding between them.
Today, we have numerous laws in place to protect Bald Eagles. These magnificent birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Lacey Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Under these laws, the Eagles themselves are protected, as well as their nests and roosting sites. However, things weren’t always this way. In the 1970’s, this beloved bird was in danger of extinction. Use of the pesticide DDT accumulated up the food chain and drastically affected raptors. Due to the large size of Bald Eagles, the toxin built up in their bodies over time. DDT also had an effect on the eggs of Bald Eagles, making the shells brittle and prone to breakage. In addition to DDT use, poaching and Habitat destruction played a significant role in the downfall of Bald Eagles. In 1963, only 487 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles remained in the U.S. Due to the large population drop, they were listed as endangered in the late 1960’s. Currently, it is estimated that the contiguous U.S has around 14,000 to 15,000 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles. This comeback is regarded as one of the most successful endangered species stories in American history.
Even though Bald Eagles are protected under U.S law, they are still under threat. Bald Eagles still face habitat destruction and the use of lead shot is one of the primary causes of death. Other toxins used in household pest traps can accumulate up the food chain and harm Bald Eagles. Like other raptors, Bald Eagles feed on carrion and roadkill, which can make them susceptible to car accidents. As humans, we can continue to do our part by being responsible homeowners, hunters and drivers on the road.
This fall, take a nature walk near an area of open water. Maybe take a day trip to Red Wing or Wabasha. You may observe roosting Bald Eagles in all of their glory. Remember that the Bald Eagle is a symbol of strength and triumph, and we have to fight to preserve them.
Author: Alison Jennings - Naturalist/Intern
As the National Bird of the United States of America, most people are familiar with the Bald Eagle. They occupy a range throughout the contiguous U.S and northern Mexico. As with most birds we see here in Minnesota, Eagles start to migrate to their wintering grounds in the Fall. But did you know that some Bald Eagles don’t travel very far at all, some even stay in Minnesota!
In early November, Bald Eagles begin to leave their summer homes in Canada and Northern Minnesota to move south for the winter. This migration is spurred on by the drop in temperature and scarcity of food resources. Some Bald Eagles move farther south to states along the coast, while others prefer to overwinter in Southern Minnesota. Popular spots for Bald Eagles are at Red Wing and Wabasha, both near areas of open water that don’t freeze over. When migrating south, Bald Eagles look for two things: ample tree cover and open water. To survive throughout the winter, they need a constant available food supply in the form of fish, waterfowl and small mammals. Trees provide a suitable roosting spot for Bald Eagles to rest at night. Larger trees are preferred because Bald Eagles like to roost together in groups. These group trees are called communal roost trees and Eagles often come back to the same tree year after year! These large trees provide shelter from the wind, but they also provide an opportunity for Eagles to communicate with each other. Bald Eagles are social animals and communal roost trees encourage pair bonding between them.
Today, we have numerous laws in place to protect Bald Eagles. These magnificent birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Lacey Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Under these laws, the Eagles themselves are protected, as well as their nests and roosting sites. However, things weren’t always this way. In the 1970’s, this beloved bird was in danger of extinction. Use of the pesticide DDT accumulated up the food chain and drastically affected raptors. Due to the large size of Bald Eagles, the toxin built up in their bodies over time. DDT also had an effect on the eggs of Bald Eagles, making the shells brittle and prone to breakage. In addition to DDT use, poaching and Habitat destruction played a significant role in the downfall of Bald Eagles. In 1963, only 487 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles remained in the U.S. Due to the large population drop, they were listed as endangered in the late 1960’s. Currently, it is estimated that the contiguous U.S has around 14,000 to 15,000 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles. This comeback is regarded as one of the most successful endangered species stories in American history.
Even though Bald Eagles are protected under U.S law, they are still under threat. Bald Eagles still face habitat destruction and the use of lead shot is one of the primary causes of death. Other toxins used in household pest traps can accumulate up the food chain and harm Bald Eagles. Like other raptors, Bald Eagles feed on carrion and roadkill, which can make them susceptible to car accidents. As humans, we can continue to do our part by being responsible homeowners, hunters and drivers on the road.
This fall, take a nature walk near an area of open water. Maybe take a day trip to Red Wing or Wabasha. You may observe roosting Bald Eagles in all of their glory. Remember that the Bald Eagle is a symbol of strength and triumph, and we have to fight to preserve them.
Author: Alison Jennings - Naturalist/Intern
december - saw-whet owls in minnesota
Saw-Whet Owls in Minnesota
Commonly seen in the boreal region of Northern Minnesota and Southern Canada, the elusive Saw-Whet can also be spotted further South. As the temperatures drop, some Saw-Whet owls seek new territory further South. If food resources become scarce, these birds also have the incentive to fly in search of a sizeable rodent population.
The funny name of this owl comes from early European settlers who discovered the species in a settlement near modern day Nova Scotia. One of the owl’s many calls has been described as a saw being sharpened on a whetting stone. Therefore, the name “saw-whet” was born. This name is a bit old-fashioned now because so many people are unfamiliar with its origin.
Recently, this species has gained media attention following the discovery of Rockefeller the owl in New York. The adult female Saw-Whet owl was found hiding in the branches of a 75 ft Norway spruce. This particular tree was destined to become the NYC Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and the owl was accidentally taken along with the tree. As one of the smallest owl species in North America, Rockefeller the owl was able to stow away for a period of 3 days, until she was rescued. Due to Rockefeller’s celebrity status, many people are curious to learn more about this owl species. It is theorized that since Rockefeller was found in the Oneonta region of New York, she was migrating through the area in search of a winter roosting spot. In the winter these owls are less picky in terms of territory. They have been found in hardwood forests, edges of forests with dense undergrowth, and even in suburban areas. Unlike other owl species that are frequently observed in the daytime, the Saw-Whet owl is strictly nocturnal. Combined with its small stature no more than 8 inches tall, this owl can be tricky to spot. You may have a Saw-Whet owl close to you and not even know it.
As we transition into the winter here in Minnesota, take a hike outside and see if you can spot any owls. Be sure to look closely in tree cavities near forest edges and in areas covered by dense undergrowth like Buckthorn. If you are lucky enough to spot a Saw-Whet owl, be sure to be respectful and keep your distance. Bring a nice pair of binoculars or a camera lens, to get a closer look at this adorable predator.
Author: Alison Jennings - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Commonly seen in the boreal region of Northern Minnesota and Southern Canada, the elusive Saw-Whet can also be spotted further South. As the temperatures drop, some Saw-Whet owls seek new territory further South. If food resources become scarce, these birds also have the incentive to fly in search of a sizeable rodent population.
The funny name of this owl comes from early European settlers who discovered the species in a settlement near modern day Nova Scotia. One of the owl’s many calls has been described as a saw being sharpened on a whetting stone. Therefore, the name “saw-whet” was born. This name is a bit old-fashioned now because so many people are unfamiliar with its origin.
Recently, this species has gained media attention following the discovery of Rockefeller the owl in New York. The adult female Saw-Whet owl was found hiding in the branches of a 75 ft Norway spruce. This particular tree was destined to become the NYC Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and the owl was accidentally taken along with the tree. As one of the smallest owl species in North America, Rockefeller the owl was able to stow away for a period of 3 days, until she was rescued. Due to Rockefeller’s celebrity status, many people are curious to learn more about this owl species. It is theorized that since Rockefeller was found in the Oneonta region of New York, she was migrating through the area in search of a winter roosting spot. In the winter these owls are less picky in terms of territory. They have been found in hardwood forests, edges of forests with dense undergrowth, and even in suburban areas. Unlike other owl species that are frequently observed in the daytime, the Saw-Whet owl is strictly nocturnal. Combined with its small stature no more than 8 inches tall, this owl can be tricky to spot. You may have a Saw-Whet owl close to you and not even know it.
As we transition into the winter here in Minnesota, take a hike outside and see if you can spot any owls. Be sure to look closely in tree cavities near forest edges and in areas covered by dense undergrowth like Buckthorn. If you are lucky enough to spot a Saw-Whet owl, be sure to be respectful and keep your distance. Bring a nice pair of binoculars or a camera lens, to get a closer look at this adorable predator.
Author: Alison Jennings - Teacher/Naturalist Intern