Brulle River as seen from Judge CR Magney State park, just East of Devil's Kettle.


Sorry about the lapse. Besides organizing the photos from our trip to the North Shore, I've also been busy with a new job, which in this economy is a positive thing.

First snow today! Just flurries, which melt on contact as temps are holding in the 40's and the ground is still warm. All the flowers are gone, as are the tropical plants in my pond garden; inside for the year. Fish will be coming in soon.

Planning to move the sumac tree today. Will be building a small rain garden down at the edge of the property line.

And the Bellflower bloomed on.
Amazing to see the same Bellflowers from late Spring still blooming as the Joe Pye Weed turns to balls of fluff and the Purple Coneflower become prickly black balls of seed. Very cold lately, with highs in the low 60s and lows in the 30s.

Rainbow in Linwood Township

Bursts of heavy rain throughout the day and evening, followed by spots of sun (shown above). The recent warm temperatures and damp weather seem to have postponed the onset of fall, and the colors haven't changed much in the past week. Saw a Monarch butterfly Saturday. Rather surprised as I thought they were gone for the season, but a friend in Canada told me there's hordes of them near Toronto, and have heard about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the Brainerd.

Garden Report

Wildlife Spotted

• Red Admiral


• American Toad


• Black-capped Chickadee


• Blue Jay


• Chorus Frog


• Cottontail Rabbit


• Crow, Common


• Goldfinch


• Gray Squirrel


• Green Frog


• Hairy Woodpecker


• Leopard Frog


• Monarch Butterfly


• Mourning Dove


• Northern Cardinal


• Nuthatch


• Pileated Woodpecker


• Red Squirrel


• Red-bellied Woodpecker


• Robin, American


• Turkey Vulture


• Virginia Opossum

In Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan


• Elm-leafed Goldenrod


• Harebell


• Purple Coneflower


• Showy Goldenrod


• Sweet Joe Pye Weed


• Woodland Sunflower

Have seen more European honeybees on the Showy Goldenrod than I have all year! Have counted over fifty on the stand at any one time, with individuals coming and going constantly, have even seen them resting on the undersides of the flowers through storms and at night. Weather is inconstant. 70's throughout the week, with 80's and some light rain today. Nothing but the calls of crickets and toads in the evening.

Saw a Turkey Vulture flying over the house today, and heard the call of the Pileated Woodpecker.

First Fall colors! Precipitated by the drought, the sumac are a rich burgundy, while the tops of the maples are tinged with the lightest tinge of rust. Showy Goldenrod, one of the surest signs of fall, are just starting to bloom.

Nodding Beggar's Tick on the Linwood Trail


Was working around the pond this morning when I saw a frog leap out of the water, nab a grasshopper sitting on a leaf near the pond's surface, and dive back down. Though it's warm these days, with temps in the 80's, it is feeling a lot more like Autumn.

Saw a Turkey Vulture picking at road kill on the Stacy side of Carlos Avery today. Thought it was a crow from a distance, until we came up close and noticed that it was larger than even a hawk.

Linwood Trail's majorly overgrown. They must only tend it during the school year. Saw quite a few frogs and toads, as well as grasshoppers, cicadas, and a Pileated Woodpecker. Rough Blazing Star was in bloom, as were Nodding Beggar's Tick. Sneezeweed was reduced to a yellow puffball, as it is at home.

Still a few Monarch Caterpillars and Butterflies in the garden.

Garden Report:

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Goldfinch
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Squirrel
• Green Frog
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Leopard Frog
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Squirrel
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Robin, American
• Turkey Vulture
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Frog

In Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly weed
• Elm-leafed Goldenrod
• Harebell
• Leadplant
• Prairie Onion
• Purple Coneflower
• Sweet Joe Pye Weed
• Turtlehead
• Woodland Sunflower

Woodland Sunflower

Unusually warm for mid-August with highs in the upper 80's and no real sign of rain until the end of the week. The green frogs are loving the pond and the shade of the new bog section, and am finding all sorts of feathers in the shallow end of the pool the songbirds like to use as a bird bath. I have noticed that the hypertufa is causing a slightly higher drain on my pond. This is to be expected as the porous mix saps up the water, and the sun heats the material. On the upside, it's sapped quite a bit of that extra into the pond garden, and I've hardly had to water at all. While my Elm-leafed Goldenrod is in full bloom, my Showy Goldenrod is still growing (about 5'8 presently) and spreading its buds. The False Indigo has really taken off this year, and is currently over 6' tall.

Leopard Frog at William O'Brian State Park

Some phenology to note at William O'Brian State Park. Monarchs everywhere at William O'Brian today; saw a caterpillar on a stand of Swamp Milkweed and seven or eight butterflies between the prairie plantings and bog; one hanging almost drunkenly off a stand of Rough Blazing Star. Frogs were also making themselves known; saw several Green Frogs and a Leopard on the trail itself. Saw a Turkey Vulture circling high over the swamps and bogs.

Beaver Lodge at William O'Brian

Water in the beaver pond was way down, and the beavers' lodge covered in more vegetation than I've seen in summers past. Likely due to the lower water levels and bog-like conditions in the soil and detritus atop the lodge.

Flowers we spotted included Woodland Sunflower, several varieties of Goldenrods and Asters, Sneezeweed, Culver's Root, some monstrous stands of Arrowhead, Rough Blazing Star, Brown-eyed Susan, White Water Lily, and Harebell.

Garden Report

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Goldfinch
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Squirrel
• Green Frog
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Leapord Frog
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Squirrel
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Robin, American
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Frog

Natives in Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly weed
• Elm-leafed Goldenrod
• Harebell
• Leadplant
• Prairie Onion
• Purple Coneflower
• Sneezeweed
• Swamp Milkweed
• Sweet Joe Pye Weed
• Turtlehead
• Wild Bergamot
• Woodland Sunflower

European Honeybee on Purple Coneflower

Time certainly flies when you have too much to get done. Have completed a boardwalk along the backside of the pond, and a small native garden with Prairie Smoke, Partridge Pea, and Purple Prairie Clover. Plan to transplant my Ninebark and Sumac when Fall approaches, turning it into something very much like a rain garden. Combine that with a busy work schedule, a number of animal companions, and hobbies like 3d artwork, and it's surprising anything ever gets done.

Speaking of Fall's approach, Wild Bergamot is just starting to turn grey, and Sweet Joe Pye Weed and Elm-leafed Goldenrod, some of summer's last colors, have begun to bloom. It's been unusually warm and dry for August, but the recent drizzle has brought the temps down into the upper 70's this week.

Frogs have again become resident to the pond. Hoping to draw them towards the bog section, where there's plenty of mud and rocks for them to burrow under.

Spent Saturday up in Duluth. Went to see the USS Niagra and other ships at the maritime museum, but the above photo was about the closest I got. Line went half a mile back to the William H Irving, and the people who'd gotten 300 feet down the line told us they'd been there for more than three hours. Amazing exhibit, but too bad Duluth couldn't have arranged it so that everyone who bought a ticket had a chance to see the ships up close.

Garden Report:

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad


• Baltimore Oriole


• Black-capped Chickadee


• Blue Jay


• Chorus Frog


• Cottontail Rabbit


• Crow, Common


• Goldfinch


• Gray Catbird


• Gray Squirrel


• Green Frog


• Hairy Woodpecker


• Leapord Frog


• Mallard Duck


• Mourning Dove


• Northern Cardinal


• Nuthatch


• Pileated Woodpecker


• Red Squirrel


• Red-bellied Woodpecker


• Red-winged Blackbird


• Robin, American


• Rose-breasted Grosbeak


• Ruby-throated Hummingbird


• Sandhill Crane


• Tree Swallow


• Virginia Opossum


• Wood Frog

Wildflowers In Bloom:

• Butterfly weed


• Harebell


• Marsh Mallow


• Spiderwort


• Swamp Milkweed


• Woodland Sunflower

Monarch Butterfly on young White Pine.


Wild Bergamot are now in full bloom, attracting a small blouds of native and European bees, and a few Monarchs and unidentified skippers. They've really exploded over the last year, driving runners through the Showy Goldenrod, all but wiping out the Tall Boneset, and spreading into the gardening platforms behind the pond.

Plenty of Green Frogs and a Leapord Frog spotted in the pond; its real estate value seems to have gone up since we added the bog basin.

Monarch Caterpillar on Swamp Milkweed

First Monarch Caterpillars of the year spotted in the pond garden. Two of them spotted on Swamp Milkweed. Decided to leave them for the time being on their plants; will not move them to the enclosures unless they're being harrassed by wasps or other predators.

A pair of Green Frogs we rescued from the yard before a mowing.

Rescued a grand total of ten young toads and frogs (one American Frog, five Green Frogs, a Leapord Frog, and three Spring Peepers) from the lawn today, transplanting them to the pond before mowing. Went to Kinninatives yesterday, and was inspired by Wayne to turn one of our pond's feeder basins into a bog with some sedge and Skullcap. Also purchased some Glade Mallow and Purple Coneflower to feed the rabbit hordes that we've fenced out of the vegetable garden. Weather's been in the mid 80's with humidity pushing the heat index into the mid 90's. Torrential rain yesterday followed by periods of sun.



Butterfly weed in pond garden.

Summer flowers are really coming into bloom; Swamp Milkweed and Butterfly weed have been joined in the past week by Brown-eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower, and Wild Bergamot is spreading its first petals. Was surprised to hear the Loon's call several times this weekend. Thought they migrated further north by this point in the Summer.

Garden Report:

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Goldfinch
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Squirrel
• Green Frog
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Loon, Common
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Squirrel
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Tree Swallow
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Frog

Wildflowers in Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly weed
• Early Meadowrue
• Glade Mallow
• Harebell
• Leadplant
• Purple Coneflower
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed
• Wild Bergamot
• Woodland Sunflower

Both Swamp Milkweed and Butterfly Weed in full bloom. Found a Spotted Knapweed (non-native) growing in the garden. Planning to let it go until the flowers peter out as the bees and butterflies seem to love it. More monarchs recently, and more Green Frogs migrating to the pond.

Interestingly enough, saw a Red-bellied woodpecker on the silo feeder last night, hanging on to the cage and using his beak to bridge tha 4" gap like a long tweezers in an Operation game.

Weather's run the gammot lately; from lower seventies last week to nineties today.

Cooled off over the past few days, highs in the 70's yesterday with overnight lows pitching down into the 50's. Tomatoes are begining to grow, and the watermelon vine has just flowered.

Garden Report

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Canadian Goose
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Goldfinch
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Squirrel
• Green Frog
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Loon, Common
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Squirrel
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Tree Swallow
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Frog

Wildflowers In Bloom:

• Butterfly weed
• Early Meadowrue
• Harebell
• Marsh Mallow
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed
• Woodland Sunflower

First frogs of the year take up residence in the pond. A pair of juvenile green frogs migrated from one of the local ponds or seasonal wetlands to bask in the shade of a potted cypress in the feeder pool.


Swamp Milkweed is just about ready to pop. I can't say enough about this native perrenial. The colorful flowers draw butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, the large leaves give shelter to tree frogs, the sap is the requisite of the monarch caterpillar, which is rapidly losing ground due to habitat loss and the destruction of what most people see as a simple weed. While its deep tap roots make it difficult to transplant and nearly impossible to divide, it's easilly propagated from seed and needs very little care besides the occasional watering during the dry season.

Just behind the Swamp Milkweed are its asclepias cousins Common Milkweed and Butterfly weed. Both are very beneficial to both the butterfly population, and in specific to the monarch population. Marsh mallow is coming up like mad, only to be eaten by deer and a seemingly exploding cottontail population. Have had to put a mesh fence around the vegetable garden just to keep them out (they have the wooded lot and the 30'X12' native garden all to themselves).

Has been in the 80's this past week, with only a few very light spots of drizzle. Hopefully we don't have a draught this summer as we did last year.

Spiderwort in bloom

Likely one of the most eccentric flowers in our pond garden, the grass-like leaves of the Western Spiderwort can make it easy to confuse with crabgrass when it sprouts from the ground. It grows quite tall in the right conditions (ours is just under a yard tall) and are a haven for pollinators, including native and imported bee species.

Common to much of the midwest, Spiderwort is extremely resilient, and has been known to spring up on lawns between mowings in areas in which it grows native. It has the peculiar nickname "Cow Slobber" for the gooey quality of its sap. The entire above-ground portion of the plant is edible, and the leaves and stems are often added to stews or even (so I've heard) juices. The flowers are actually very short lived, each blooming for only one day, but a single stem can produce around 20 blossoms.

Temperatures have been warmer lately, holding in the high 70's and low 80's, with moderate to high humidity. Last of the Columbine have gone to seed and Tomatoes are growing in the vegetable garden.

Harebell blooms along the retaining wall

With its distinctive flowers, shaped (in my opinion) like one of those tasteless bonnets they make babies wear in Easter photos, perched atop grassy stems, Harebell is a hard one to miss. It is a widespread flower, predominant in both North America and Europe, where they are known as Witch's thimbles on one hand and dedicated to St Dominic on the other. It is one of the many flowers attractive to hummingbirds (they generally go for purples, blues, and reds), and a variety of pollinating insects.

Harebell is an extremely hardy flower, growing quite well in a variety of lighting conditions, and in both nutrient-rich and poor soils. I have heard that most harebells do not do well in damp soils, but I have seen the Minnesotan varieties growing quite well in seasonal wetlands (those growing next to our pond do quite well). They are fickle when it comes to flowering. I've seen one specimen bloom for only a week in June, while another (not eight inches away) may explode with blooms from late Spring to early Autumn.

Weather's taken a turn in the last week, pitching up into the mid-upper 80's with the sort of humidity that makes just about any shirt feel a few sizes too small.

Garden Report:

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad


• Baltimore Oriole


• Black-capped Chickadee


• Blue Jay


• Cedar Waxwing


• Chorus Frog


• Cottontail Rabbit


• Crow, Common


• Goldfinch


• Grackle, Common


• Gray Catbird


• Gray Squirrel


• Hairy Woodpecker


• Loon, Common


• Mallard Duck


• Mourning Dove


• Northern Cardinal


• Nuthatch


• Pileated Woodpecker


• Purple Finch


• Red-bellied Woodpecker


• Red Squirrel


• Red-winged Blackbird


• Robin, American


• Ruby-throated Hummingbird


• Sandhill Crane


• Tree Swallow


• Virginia Opossum


• Wood Frog

Natives in Bloom:

• Aborted Buttercup


• Blue-flag Iris


• Canada Anemone


• Columbine


• False Indigo


• Harebell


• Prairie Ninebark


• Spiderwort


• Prairie Smoke


• Swamp Buttercup

The Hjordis, a 50' gaff-rigged Schooner owned by the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN. The name is taken from a Norse goddess who allegedly sharpened warrior's swords between her breasts. The Hjordis, as related to us by Captain Ben, had an interesting history of its own, having spent time in both the Great Lakes and the Caribbean.

Sorry things have been quiet for a bit. Took the North House Folk School's one-day Craft of Sail course aboard the Hjordis in Grand Marais, MN. Fascinating course; have been a fan of nautical history and nautical historical fiction from Homer to Melville and Patrick O'Brian, but you don't get a real feel for the art and science of sailing until you're out on the water, at the wheel or tending the rigging. Had an awesome day of it with just enough wind to make things interesting. Pulled back into harbor just as a sudden storm hit.

While the Great Lakes may not get as many age of sail buffs as the Mediterranean or Trafalgar, Superior was once host to the largest sail-borne fishing fleet in the world. In Moby Dick, several of the Pequod's fictional hands were Great Lake fisherman, and Melville himself made mention of their prowess and seamanship. The truth is that Great Lake seamanship can take more skill than ocean sailing, not only because the winds are less predictable and there's far more lee shore to be had, but because waves, as cited by our captain, are typically more severe. Rollers that, on the Atlantic may be three feet high and three seconds from peak to peak, would likely be the same height, but one second across on Superior.

The Hjordis tacking in Grand Marais Harbor.

The sustainability and almost nonexistent carbon footprint of sailing is an awesome thing; the ability to spend days on the water, to even travel around the world, without burning a single drop of petroleum seems a romantic fiction in this post-industrial age, but perhaps, as evidenced by the adoption of kite-powered shipping vessels, old things will become new again.

Grand Marais was awesome; the Summer solstice festival was getting underway just as we left, and the town was packed.

Came back to find our first pinkish-green strawberry vanished; likely the victim of a bird or the cottontail we've seen hanging around our backyard. That's fine, really as we've put a small mesh cover around the remaining strawberries.

Harebell are blossoming, and the non-native in the yard have responded to the sprays, giving us hope that, with care, we won't have to stray much further from our ordinarily organic ways.

Prairie Ninebark, a native shrub, in bloom

Saw a Kildeer in Roseville this morning, picking through wrappers in a hotel parking lot. The last Kildeer I can remember seeing was years back in Stillwater. It was March or April, the snow had gone from all but the thickest stretches of the forest, and the ice had receded several feet out (still probably an inch or more thick in the middle), exposing a sandy shoreline littered with fish and waterborne insects that had been killed as the ice moved in. The kildeer was hopping along, here and there nabbing a dragonfly larva (fat and green, like a raw olive), or pecking at the ribs of a dead sunfish. It took off when it saw me, piping its distinguishing cry as it wheeled over the ice.

It's not the first time I've spotted what would typically be distinguised as rural wildlife in Minneapolis's very urbanized suburb. I remember once doing a double-take as what I thought was a dog ran along the train tracks that cross County Road C. It was a red fox with a cottontail rabbit in its mouth.

Four strawberries by last count between two plants. The last of the Wild Geranium went out of bloom last night, and the Harebell and Monkey Flower look just about ready to pop.

Canada Anemone in bloom

Canada Anemone is a species common in wet forests and seasonal wetlands. They have multiple white blooms per plant and large, serrated leaves. Natives were aware of its medicinal properties, and often used it to stop bleeding and treat bug bites and other conditions.

Loons could be heard in the house with the windows closed this morning. Baltimore Oriole and American Robin were seen drinking from the pond, and Prairie Ninebark has started to bloom in the front yard.

First strawberry of the year growing in the vegetable garden. Spent much of the weekend weeding, cleaning the filters, and working on some more hypertufa "rocks" to cover the pond liner.

First mixed the ingredients; I was doing a large modular block and needed it to be strong, so used:

• 1Xportland cement
• 1Xsand
• 1.5Xpeat moss

Here's the solution mixed together with water. Didn't want it runny, so only added in about a gallon of water.
Spread the mix over a 1/2" mesh hardware cloth that I'd previously bend into shape to fit into a corner of the pond and hide the liner. The hardware cloth provides both shape and reinforcement for the hypertufa. Placed logs underneath to help the cloth hold its shape under the weight of the mixture.
The hypertufa creates a pretty natural-looking texture on its own without a lot of shaping. Inserted wire reinforcement where I wanted to create rocky extensions to break up the shape of the pond and provide perches for frogs or birds.
Finished it off by spreading some peat moss on the still-damp hypertufa mixture. This will add a little texture, and create a bit of traction for pond-dwelling wildlife.

Now must wait three days for the cement to completely dry, as I do not want any lime leaching into my pond.

A Monarch Butterfly scouting out our Swamp Milkweed

The clouds mosquitoes have attracted predators; Dragonflies and Damselflies that attend the garden whenever the sun's out and the skies are clear. When they're not darting through clouds of mosquitoes or gnats like a whale shark through plankton, they're either sunning themselves on our rocks or retaining wall, or hawking; crouching like aerobatic leopards on the dried husks of last year's Bergamot and Goldenrod.

A cool and damp end to spring; currently 65 and extremely windy with a severe thunderstorm watch over most of Minnesota. The Columbine are taking to seed, and the Rue Anemone are just about to peter out for the year, while Prairie Ninebark is just about to pop. False Solomon's Seal just petered out, though they will be recorded in this week's phenology report.

Garden Report:

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Cedar Waxwing
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Eastern Bluebird
• Goldfinch
• Grackle, Common
• Gray Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Loon, Common
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Purple Finch
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Tree Swallow
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Duck
• Wood Frog
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

Emerging Wildflowers:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly Weed
• Early Meadowrue
• False Dragonhead
• False Indigo
• Harebell
• Monkeyflower
• Purple Coneflower
• Showy Goldenrod
• Swamp Milkweed
• Tall Boneset
• Virgin's Bower
• Wild Bergamot
• Wild Grape
• Woodland Goldenrod
• Woodland Sunflower

Wildflowers in Bloom:

• Aborted Buttercup
• Canada Anemone
• Columbine
• False Solomon's Seal
• Hooked Violet
• Jacob's Ladder
• Prairie Smoke
• Rue Anemone
• Shooting Star
• Swamp Buttercup
• Wild Geranium
• Yellow Violet

A Junebug perched in a tree in our pond garden.

Heard a pair of loons last night as the thunderheads rolled in and the Tree Frogs chattered in the swamps. Hearing crickets now along the retaining wall and in the garden. No frogs seen in or near the pond yet.

Still relatively cool with temps in the low 70's. Isn't supposed to heat up into the 80's until the weekend.

Prairie Smoke covered in morning rain

A very damp, cold start to June. Only 63 outside, with sporadic thunderstorms. At least four days of the last weeks have seen rain, with Superior's water level rising, and there's flooding in some areas of Iowa. Good time for the garden; Columbine's grown about 2 feet tall, and is filling in many of the unplanted areas along the retaining wall. Haven't heard peepers for over a week now; only heard Tree Frogs last night.

Vegetable garden's taking off, with the tomato plants shooting up, the raspberries building up thick clusters of foliage around the base, and the strawberries are blossoming.

A Wild Geranium blooming in our pond garden

Nasty year for invasives. The Swallow I took to be tending her nest proved to be dead, her eyes poked out. Placed her and her nest in the woods. Have read about a "halo" put around the entrance to the Bluebird Houses; it is supposed to keep House Sparrows out.

The Creeping Charlie in the back lot is over a foot tall, and the dandelions are overtaking the edges of the lawn in thick, spreading clumps. Sadly, we've had to resort to using a preventive and a spray this year. I would rather do things organically, but have not heard of anything that has much effect on the dandelions. We'd be less militant against them if their airborn seeds and deep, resilient taproots didn't make them one of the most ravenous invasives to compete with native fauna.

Won't allow the chemicals anywhere near the native gardens, so spent several hours pulling out crag grass, dandelions and other non-natives.

Prairie Smoke in full bloom

First Monarch Butterfly spotted. Tree Swallow seen in other nest. Unfortunately couldn't check for eggs or young as the mother was very ardent about us not opening it.

Saw a black-and-yellow dragonfly (believe it was a darner) hunting mosquitos near the pond, and a number of delicate light-blue damselflies in the tall grass.

Raided Bluebird nest

Opened the bluebird house to find each of the eggs penetrated with a jagged hole and swarming with ants and small flies. Classic sign of a House Sparrow raid. Sadly, while death is part of nature, this is not nature's way. House Sparrows are an invasive, non-native species, introduced (both intentionally and accidentally) by European immigrants.

While many birders use glue traps or even electricity, we can't stomach killing them, and have attempted more passive measures, such as controlling what we put in the feeders and pairing bluebird houses in the attempts to draw Tree Swallows, a native species that can coexist with the bluebirds, but often repel House Sparrows. Will have to try monofilaments to frighten them away the next time a Bluebird makes its home in the box.

If you ever see this in one of your bluebird houses (from what I've heard, it can be a lot more gruesome than this), clean the house out, and keep an eye on the house to make sure the House Sparrows do not move in. If House Sparrows do enter a nesting box, it is perfectly legal and advisable to remove the nest immediately.

Swamp Buttercup in pond garden

Swamp Buttercup is a common, hardy wildflower that will grow in seasonal wetlands, can thrive in the running waters of small streams, and does quite well in pond gardens. The flowers attract all manners of pollinators, from bees and skipper butterflies to flies and beetles, while their seeds are eaten by a variety of animals; from squirrels and rabbits to Wild Turkeys*.

Shooting Star, a perrenial favorite of many native gardeners, but a relatively new addition to our pond garden.

Chilly for late May. Highs in the 60's with lows in the 40's. Sprinkles this morning with the possibility of more thunderstorms this afternoon and evening.

The recent wet's been good for the garden. The first Columbine burst over the weekend, and has since exploded along the edge of the pond garden in bursts of red and yellow. Shooting Star's just started to bloom around the center of the garden. May divide it in the fall and start to cluster it right around the pond shore. Eggs in the Bluebird house are still unhatched, though I see the happy couple tendiing them constantly.

Garden Report:

What's Emerging:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly Weed
• Early Meadowrue
• False Dragonhead
• False Indigo
• Fiddlehead Fern
• Harebell
• Monkeyflower
• Purple Coneflower
• Showy Goldenrod
• Swamp Milkweed
• False Solomon's Seal
• Starflower
• Tall Boneset
• Virgin's Bower
• Wild Bergamot
• Wild Grape
• Woodland Goldenrod
• Woodland Sunflower

What's in Bloom:

• Aborted Buttercup
• Columbine
• Hooked Violet
• Jacob's Ladder
• Mohican Viburnum
• Rue Anemone
• Shooting Star
• Swamp Buttercup
• Wild Geranium
• Yellow Violet

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chorus Frog
• Crow, Common
• Eastern Bluebird
• Goldfinch
• Grackle, Common
• Gray Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Purple Finch
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Spring Peeper
• Tree Swallow
• Turkey Vulture
• Virginia Opossum
• Wild Turkey
• Wood Duck
• Wood Frog
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

Blueberry Flowers seen in Linwood Community Park and School Forest

We took a walk Saturday evening (somewhat out of order here) in Linwood School Forest. Fat cumulus clouds of mosquitos drifting across the wetlands(a feast for the vocal Tree Frogs, American Toads, and Chorus Frogs), but the hills were less infested.

Sweet White Violets seen in Linwood Community Park and School Forest

Stands of blueberry and clusters of tiny Sweet White Violets seen from the boardwalk that crosses the bog near the middle of the park. St. Solomon's Seal blooming sporadically in the wetlands, while Wild Geraniums, interspersed by the occasional Columbine, Canada Anemone, Rue Anemone, or Wild Sasparilla could be seen in the hills. Flowers in this forest do not occur in the large clusters you'd see in William O'Brian or even Pine Point Park in Stillwater, but these forests are much more densely packed, and there's not nearly as much sun let in by the intrusion of hiking trails or bike paths.

Pasque Flower seedhead

First flower of the year goes out of bloom in the pond garden; the Purple Pasque Flower has officially gone to seed.

Wild weather yesterday in the North Metro. Hugo saw deadly tornadoes and Forest Lake, less than ten minutes down the I35 corridor, saw torrential hail. All we got was a noncommital burst of dime-sized hail and a few hours of Dish TV fuzz. Temps in the mid-upper sixties today with overcast skies and a cool breeze; supposed to be dipping into the thirties tonight with the possibility of frost!


Landscape at William O'Brian State Park

We took a trip to William O'Brian State Park today with the dog. William O'Brian was the first places I really realized just how fluid life is. In their wake, the glaciers leave left a litter of boulders. Over years, water erodes a strean just wide enough for pine needles, oak leaves, dead bugs, or bird doo to dam it. Moss latches on to this organic detritus, preventing erosion and making way for small plants and trees, which eventually grow and cover the lifeless rock; a small-scale analogy for our planet.


Stream running through William O'Brian State Park

Interesting hike, though the combination of a skittish dog and overcast skies made it somewhat less conducive for photography. Tree swallows are everywhere now; performing their acrobatics over the wetlands and ponds, sitting on the wires near the restored prairie or atop their houses by the visitor's center. You can tell Spring is fading; not a Marsh Marigold to be found (though their foliage (as seen above) is still quite prevalent in areas of moving water), and the calls of the peepers have already died out.

Wildlife Spotted at William O'Brian:

• American Toad
• Chorus Frog
• Painted Turtle
• Robin
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Swamp Sparrow
• Tree Swallow

Columbine growing in William O'Brian State Park

Wildflowers in Bloom at William O'Brian:

• Columbine
• Declining Trillium
• Hooked Violet
• Large-flowered Bellwort
• Marsh Marigold
• Meadowrue
• Pussytoes
• Rue Anemone
• Wild Blue Phlox
• Wild Geranium
• Wild Strawberry
• Yellow Violet
  

Jacob's Ladder flowers

Once nominated for inclusion to the federal endangered species list*, Western Jacob's Ladder can be found growing in wetlands and damp forests beside orchids and tamarack. They're particularly easy to identify given their fern-like leaves, and slender stalks crowned with blue-to-purple blooms, and prominent stamens. Despite the fact that they're a native to this state, little is known of them, including why they are relatively rare given the amount of viable acreage. Couldn't find any real data on any interactions with wildlife, though I have seen bees tending them.

I found Jacob's Ladder particularly easy to grow though it really did not produce any blooms until the second year. They like regular water, but will not do well in standing water, and I've found that bordering it with taller plants (I've got Wild Bergamot and Showy Goldenrod) encourage its growth.

Tree Frogs are now at full chorus, with highs in the 70's and overnight temps in the mid-50's.

A bit of a divergence from native gardening to organic vegetable gardening, but with the rising cost of groceries and living in general, I've decided to throw some vegetables (largely perrenials) into what was formerly a patch of creeping charlie and see what I can do. The pair of tomato plants in my garden got some new neighbors;

• 2XDill
• 1XHorehound
• 3 varieties of pepper (6Xeach)
• Carribean Red
• Tabasco
• Thai
• 1XRasberry
• 4XStrawberry
• 2XWatermelon

Mixed around three shovel's-worth of peat moss, sand and compost into the soil, and mulched with straw and some of last year's partially decomposed leaves, and laid down some edgers to hopefully keep the creeping charlie from the wooded lot behind us at bay.

This is a rather brave endeavor in a 50 sf garden as I haven't grown vegetables since about the seventh grade. The watermelons, strawberries, and raspberries are great for snacking and juicing, and the horehound makes for good tea and candy, and the peppers for good salsa or a bit of zest in pasta sauce. Tomatos are ubiquitous to a largely vegetarian family; good in sauces, juices, and salads alike. The dill can be ground up and used in pasta salad or given to my aunt for pickling.

Mohican Viburnum leaves and flower buds

Mohican Viburnum is a hardy native shrub that provides a welcome burst of color in the mid-spring and leathery, dark-green foliage that remain on the shrub's compact boughs well into summer. Some of the sources I've read say this foliage turns in autumn, but I have not seen this on the two I have. They are easy to grow, though they do like a bit of mulch to keep the moisture in, and are supposed to reach about 6' in ideal conditions. There are native gardeners out there who use them as hedges.

Mohican Viburnum provide flat-topped clusters of white flowers in mid-spring and red-orange berries in summer. I've seen bees and other pollinators tend the blossoms, but have never seen anything take the berries, so am not entirely sure of its wildlife value (couldn't find anything on Google or any of my field guides either).

Mohican Virburnum shrub

Tree frogs joined the chorus in the ponds and swamps yesterday; their occasional chatter-like chirp joining the piping of the Spring Peeper, the trill of the American Toad, and the strumming of the Chorus Frog.

One of the Orioles building its nest in my spruce tree

Swamp Milkweed has to be one of the most popular native plants in our garden.

• Its flowers are not only a very colorful addition to any garden, but a favorite of bees and butterflies.
• Its milky sap is the food source of the Monarch caterpillar (and provides the insect its natural defense by way of an alkaline poison). Milkweed are vital to Monarchs, as it's the only species of host plant their larva can survive on.
• Its leaves make the perfect perches and cover for tiny tree frogs.
• Birds will clutch the stems while hunting for insects, or to drink from lakes and streams.
  

And finally, I just learned this morning that:

• Its dried stalks provide downy nesting material for birds, including the Baltimore Oriole currently making house in my spruce tree.

I actually had a few minutes to sit down and enjoy the garden yesterday afternoon, and as Robins, Orioles, Sparrows, and Hummingbirds went about their business, I realized that the amount of wildlife you can see in under an acre of land is just amazing. It's not like we were experts or even had a solid plan when we set out to build this garden. Neither of us have degrees in naturalism or botany, and it's not like we had the money to hire professionals. We'd just done a little research, talked to Wayne, and observed what plants grew well in local parks.

Storms rumbled through yesterday (1" of rain in the gauge), putting the air down into the 60's. Air was so cold overnight (most of this week have highs in the mid-60's) that the water actually steamed as it churned down the waterfall. Looked amazing in the beams of the new solar spotlights we installed. Will try to get some video of it tonight.

Emerging Native Plants:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• False Dragonhead
• False Indigo
• Fiddlehead Fern
• Harebell
• Meadowrue
• Marsh Marigold
• Prairie Smoke
• Purple Coneflower
• Showy Goldenrod
• St. Solomon's Seal
• Starflower
• Tall Boneset
• Virgin's Bower
• Wild Bergamot
• Wild Grape
• Woodland Goldenrod
• Woodland Sunflower

Wildflowers in Bloom:

• Aborted Buttercup
• Bloodroot
• Canadian Anemone
• Jacob's Ladder
• Rue Anemone
• Purple Pasque Flower
• Wild Geraniuim

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chorus Frog
• Crow, Common
• Eastern Bluebird
• Goldfinch
• Grackle, Common
• Grey Squirrel
• Loon
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Purple Finch
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Spring Peeper
• Tree Swallow
• Turkey Vulture
• Virginia Opossum
• Wild Turkey
• Wood Duck
• Wood Frog
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

First Hummingbird of the season spotted!

A budding Columbine flower

Columbine are dropping their buds. These widespread, bell-shaped perrenials, native and a favorite of hummingbirds and bees, are notable for their five "spurs" which begat both its latin (comparison to an eagle's talons) or common (comparison to a flock of doves) name. These spurs spread in the summer, exposing the flower's petticoat-like petals and long stamen in a very colorful display. They're an excellent, native plant for any garden, and will give you blooms from mid spring through early fall.

Columbine are extraordinarilly easy to cultivate given even the slightest bit of pre-planning. Though, being woodland flowers, they prefer damp, cool soil and a good deal of shade, with a good deal of mulch they'll thrive in anything short of full sun. Throw in a little peat moss and weekly watering during the hot season and they'll pay you back with interest, spreading across open soil in thick, verdant clumps of dark green leaves and red flowers.

Began work on the first of the "rocks" I will be using to cover up the pond filter, the remainder of my exposed pond tarp, and possibly the underwater pumps and plumbing. I created the first rock by layering hypertufa over a frame mesh. The 2 parts peat moss gave it a very porous texture, much more realistic to rock than standard cement would have been. Also cut a small 5X8 portion of land out of a chunk of my back lawn that had mostly been overrun by creeping charlie. Mixed a bag of organic garden soil and a shovel load of peat moss into the soil and am in the act of bordering it with some inexpensive edgers. Am hoping I'll have peppers, tomatoes, and watermelons by fall. Would love to be able to cultivate my own seeds.

Been seeing a lot of the Bluebird couple lately, and the Orioles have been draining my grape jelly feeder twice a day.

Bluebird Eggs

Prairie Smoke

Counted five Eastern Bluebird eggs in the house this afternoon; that's three more than Wednesday's count. Plants are coming up in droves in the native garden; Prairie Smoke are about to pop, and Peepers can be heard sporadically throughout the day.

Mostly sunny today with a few bursts of rain and high wind in the late afternoon. Temps in the low 70's dipping down into the low 60's in the early evening.

A strange moth-like insect I spotted on side of house. Entomology is so complex I'm not even going to take a guess as to what it was.

First Baltimore Oriole of the season spotted in the garden as temps pitch into the high 70s. Hooked Violet in bloom. Toads heard trilling once again.

Eastern Bluebird Eggs

A pair of Eastern Bluebird eggs in one bluebird house, and a pair of Tree Swallows scouting out the other. Put the first non-natives out today; a pair of dwarf cypress in pond pots, along with some fuschia and herbs in small pots placed among the granite cobbles, and put the Oriole and Hummingbird feeders in the garden. Began work on mesh for the fake rocks I intend to cover the pond liner and use as planters. Sunny today, temps in the upper 60s.

Cherry Blossoms

Rue Anemone in bloom.

Some photos from the garden. Everything seems to be emergig now; everything except the various families of milkweed that spring up like lightning over the summer and produce such abundant blooms. Leadplant, Bergamot, and all manner of Goldenrod are emerging in the garden, and the lance-like leaves of the Blue-flag Iris are begining to emerge from the pond.

Roller coaster weather this weekend. Emerged from the 40's with rain (flurries in the Brainerd Lakes region) to the 60's in the last few days. I've only heard the hardy Spring Peepers keeping up the chorus the last few nights.

Wildlife Spotted Recently:

Black-capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

Chorus Frog

Crow, Common

Eastern Bluebird

Goldfinch

Grackle, Common

Grey Squirrel

Loon

Mallard Duck

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Nuthatch

Pileated Woodpecker

Purple Finch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Robin, American

Sandhill Crane

Spring Peeper

Tree Swallow

Turkey Vulture

Virginia Opossum

Wild Turkey

Wood Duck

Wood Frog

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Wildflowers in Bloom:

Rue Anemone

Purple Pasque Flower

Emerging Native Plants:

Blue-flag Iris

Columbine

Elm-leafed Goldenrod

Fiddlehead Ferns

Leadplant

Prairie Smoke

Showy Goldenrod

Wild Bergamot