Grand Marais Diary Recap: Day 1


Left in rain, travelled in rain. A bank of fog over Superior and the surrounding hills.



Fed by the wettest fall on season, gullies of water shot from the stone cliffs, pooling in the ditches, overrunning the road in spots, and staining the fringe of Superior a root beer brown. Spurred by runoff, the French River was like a river on steroids.



Spent the night in town at the East Bay Suites. Took a walk through the town and along the harbor as the sunset behind the Sawtooth Mountains.

Sorry for the gap; just returned from our trip Grand Marais last week. To recap, nothing's blooming anymore, and the only colors left in peak are the Oaks. Goldfinch are passing through in droves (some moving South I suppose), and the frogs are starting to get comfortable on the bottom of the pond.

1.5" of rain the week we were gone.

Cloudy today with temperatures down in the mid 50s and 2.5" of rain in the gauge. The oaks are turning a rich golden colour as we get further into the season.

1.5" of rain early Friday morning, drizzles this morning, but not enough to register in the gauge. Sun appeared later in the day, pitching temps into the upper 80's in the late afternoon with high humidity.

Several roads were closed off in Carlos Avery WMA. Spotted a Heron and Egret in Pond 6. Not much left in bloom in Carlos Avery, but the Oaks are finally starting to turn.

Steady rain yesterday afternoon, heavy in spots. Sunny and pleasant this morning with 1" of rain in the garden gauge and temps holding in the 50's. Rose into the 70's in the afternoon. Took a few shots at Roseville's Central Park during my lunch break, unfortunately didn't bring the telephoto lens with, and missed some Mallards in the pond and a hawk wheeling over the boardwalk in Harriet Alexander Nature Center.


Grasshopper at Harriet Alexander Nature Center


Harriet Alexander Nature Center, shot from boardwalk


Restored Prairie at Harriet Alexander Nature Center


Fountain at Muriel Sahlin Arboretum


Muriel Sahlin Arboretum

Overcast with sporadic drizzle; temps holding in the upper 60's. Goldfinch seem more active than usual, crowding the thistle feeder and bathing in the pond and waterlogged annuals pots.

Some photos from the weekend:




Fish in Pond Garden


Gull Lake


Round Lake


Pierz, MN


Pierz, MN



"Woolly Bear" Caterpillar


Wildlife Spotted in Garden this Week:

• American Toad
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Cedar Waxwing
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Green Frog
• Grey Squirrel
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Robin

Natives Blooming in Garden:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Daisy Fleabane
• Frost Aster
• Harebell
• Purple Coneflower
• Showy Goldenrod

Fall Color -- Forest Lake Area:

• American Elm
• Boxelder
• Cottonwood
• Paper Birch
• Quaking Aspen
• Smooth Sumac
• Sugar Maple