Enormous bumblebees seen in the Wild Bergamot

Temps only in the 70's.  What an unusual summer.

Canoeing on Sunshine Pool

Loads of various aquatic plants, including white water lily. Loads of swallows spotted eating the dragon and mayflies (who were in turn feeding on the mosquitoes and gnats.)

Prairie Ninebark in the front yard

The local bees and butterflies seem to love it.

Monarchs Spotted

Numerous monarchs spotted on Sunshine Trail. Tent Caterpillars seem to be out in force as well. Wonder how much of this is due to the warm spring and the recent wet weather. Ravens heard (but not yet seen) lately around Linwood Township. Unusual as they generally stick north.

A shot of one of the several humminbird moths hanging out, sipping nectar, and pairing off in the native garden out back. They seem particularly drawn to the islands of swamp milkweed blooming in the sea of bergamot, boneset, and joe pye weed.

Monarchs sometimes choose odd places to coccoon.

Humid again -- and rainy. Low 80's. Butterfly weed and Wild Berhamot have both petered out. Milkweed beetle eggs and young seen on Swamp Milkweed. Turtlehead and Showy Goldenrod almost ready to pop. Sandhill Cranes heard in the fields.

The name is almost unromantic

Cooler, less humid, 80's.

A number of native wildflowers coming into their own this week, including Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Ironweed, Sneezeweed, and Tall Boneset. Bumblebees seem prevalent this year. Have seen more of them than wasps and yellow jackets combined. Monarchs remain common. Though I haven't seen any Red Admirals lately, my wife spotted a Tiger Swallowtail.

Wildlife Spotted this week:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Canadian Goose
• Chipmunk, Eastern
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Downy Woodpecker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Goldfinch
• Gray Tree Frog
• Green Frog
• Grey Squirrel
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Loon
• Monarch Butterfly
• Monarch Caterpillar
• Nuthatch
• Purple Finch
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Squirrel, Grey
• Tiger Swallowtail

Natives in Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly weed
• Dotted Blazing Star
• Glade Mallow
• Harebell
• Ironweed
• Purple Coneflower
• Purple Prairie Clover
• Sneezeweed
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed
• Sweet Joe Pye Weed
• Tall Boneset
• Wild Bergamot
• Woodland Sunflower

Blazing star and Purple Prairie Clover both exploding into bloom this week. Wild Bergamot going strong. Swamp Milkweed and Butterflyweed starting to slowly peter out. Joe Pye Weed and Forest Goldenrod is just about ready to pop. Heavy seems to have brought on the early maturation of many of these plants; remember years back that Joe Pye Weed was not blooming until late September.

Monarchs seen almost all daylight hours on the various milkweeds. Seen several caterpillars as well, and assuming there will be a second generation population boost in the following weeks. Seem to be many more bumblebees than in past years.

White spider on Canada Anemone

70's, humid, sporadic thunderstorms. Spiderwort, Woodland Goldenrod and Wild Bergamot coming up in clumps. Most Columbine very small, somewhat sickly-looking. Wild Grapevine taking off, almost overwhelming trellis. Ninebark petered out.

Loads of grey and black dragonflies. Junebugs out. No hummingbirds spotted yet.

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Canadian Goose
• Chipmunk, Eastern
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Downy Woodpecker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Goldfinch
• Gray Tree Frog
• Green Frog
• Grey Squirrel
• Nuthatch
• Purple Finch
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Squirrel, Grey

Natives Blooming in last week:

• Canada Anemone
• Columbine
• False Indigo
• Fleabane
• Harebell
• Jacob's Ladder
• Prairie Ninebark
• Prairie Smoke
• Swamp Buttercup
• Wild Geranium

False Indigo in bloom

Warm. 80's. Some rain yesterday. A few Columbine now blooming, along with Prairie Smoke, Harebell, and the earliest False Indigo. False Indigo are particularly impressive, as they were some of the hardest hit by the late April snows. Grackles join the blackbirds in the garden and at the feeders.

Dragonflies, particularly the gray ones with the black stripes, extremely common.

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!

Some pictures from this past week:

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.