Buds on Maples

First chorus frogs heard this week.

Sandhill Cranes heard over Carlos Avery N of Wyoming, MN

First Oriole of the Year Spotted

Frogs strident lately, though I believe that with the drop in temperatures (only 49.5 at the moment) and the gusty winds we're having they will be quiet this evening.

Loons spotted in Nisswa.  Chorus frogs strident, and some Wood Frogs heard as well this evening in Stacy. Hairy woodpeckers very active and visiting feeder.

Chorus Frogs

Call of the chorus frog, like a thumb slowly strumming the teeth of a plastic comb, heard on the swamps.

Call of the Sandhills

First calls of the Sandhill Cranes heard calling over Carlos Avery.

Mohican Viburnum starting to bloom

Heard the first spring peepers and sandhill cranes yesterday. Peepers strident this evening as the first storm hits. Unusually warm&humid.

Heard the following in the pat few days:

• Canadian Geese
• Sandhill Cranes
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird

First Gray Tree Frog seen on the windowsil this evening. Spring Peepers and Chorus frogs calling outside.

First Oriole of the year spotted today. Toads trilling throughout the day.

Snakeskin found in garden


Humid, 70's and 80's. Severe storms this week produced over a dozen tornadoes, several of which were deadly.

Found a snake skin in the garden. The portions I found totalled around 16", and is most likely from a garter snake. I've never seen a garter snake in the garden, but from the vast amount of prey (chipmunks, frogs, toads, mice, crickets,) it makes a lot of sense.

Orioles still common, while a Bluebird has built its nest in the opposite house. No eggs yet. Spiderwort prolific this year. Both Glade Mallow and Swamp Milkweed ready to pop. A few blooms on the Swamp Milkweed in the back, but not nearly enough to call.

Toads began trilling yesterday, joining the Green Frog and Gray Tree Frog in my pond and the Chorus Frogs and Peepers in the surrounding swamplands. Can hear several other Tree frogs not far off at night. Orioles have found our hummingbird and oriole feeders. Baby bluebirds heard in bluebird house; first family of the season. Tent caterpillars found building large "tents", and tearing the foliage from buckthorn.

Quite warm, temperatures in the mid 70's with lots of sun. Decent gardening weather!

Tree Frog (first frog to enter the new pond) heard calling in the pond last night. With any luck, mating season is on, and we might have young on the way.

Bluebird nest spotted in the house yesterday. Two tiny blue eggs so far.

Mohican Viburnum

Columbine flower

Jacob's Ladder have been blooming for a few days now; Columbine and Mohican Viburnum just burst over the weekend.

Pond Stage 4


A Little Detail

Pond Garden Stage 4 is a go; so far I've covered about 28 square feet of overlayment covered in poultry wire (for reinforcement) and coated it with a mixture of cement, peat moss, the occasional rock or stone, and various decorations including sea shells and chunks of marble tile.

First ruby-throated Hummingbird of the year spotted buzzing about the Columbine. Add to that the first Baltimore Oriole seen in the Maple trees. Peepers not quite as prevalent as they were a few weeks back, but it may be due to the cold stint we've been having (frost in some areas last night). A male Eastern Bluebird has been hanging around the houses, but no nest yet. Red-shouldered hawk has been quite vocal for the last week.

Natives in Bloom:

• Canada Anemone


• Columbine


• Jacob's Ladder


• Rue Anemone


• Purple Pasque Flower

Wildlife Spotted:

• Baltimore Oriole


• Black-capped Chickadee


• Blue Jay


• Chipmunk, Eastern


• Chorus Frog


• Cottontail Rabbit


• Eastern Bluebird


• Goldfinch


• Grey Squirrel


• Loon


• Nuthatch


• Pileated Woodpecker


• Red-shouldered Hawk


• Red-winged Blackbird


• Ruby-throated Hummingbird


• Squirrel, Gray


• Turkey Vulture

Purple Pasque Flower

Rue Anemone

Rain and slightly cooler temps. The first Pasque Flower just popped up this week, and the first of the Rue Anemone are starting to unfurl their blossoms, and the leaves of the Rue Anemone are coming up in droves. Spring Peepers and Chorus Frogs quite loud lately. Have seen plenty of Sandhill Cranes and Redwinged Blackbirds, though the Bluebird houses are still empty. Would like to take a trip out to the Maplewood Nature Center perhaps early next week.

Pond Rework Stage 1


Have been reexcavating the pond lately. Got a few of the neighborhood kids involved in pulling off the dirt and tarps; have reexcavated the East basin to 3.5', have widened the stream, added plant shelves, and will be adding a bog section to the West basin. Would like to add some bullheads and other natives to the feeder goldfish this year; kids have even offered to donate crayfish and snails should they catch any.

Eventual plans include a third stream with waterfall and an underwater fishcam. A small de-icer and a solar-powered aerator should allow the fish to overwinter in some degree comfort. Did catch a few dragonfly nymphs and various other waterbugs; added them to the rain barrel for now; will be emptying that into the pond when it's done.

What's Blooming:

• Purple Pasque Flower
• Rue Anemone

Wildlife Spotted:

• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chipmunk, Eastern
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Goldfinch
• Grey Squirrel
• Loon
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Spring Peeper
• Turkey Vulture

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.

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.

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.