Linnaeus Arboretum
Arb Sightings 3/11/10
This morning many of us in southern Minnesota woke up to the sound of thunder, and thus the state has experienced its first thunderstorm of the year. While this may seem early for a thunderstorm, it’s not all too unusual to experience thunder and lightning before the vernal equinox; in fact as recent as February [...]
Arb Sightings 3/5/10
As the snow melts as a result of this week’s above-freezing temperatures, we are once again privileged with the joy of walking through puddles and getting our shoes wetter than we would prefer. But puddles are as sure a sign of spring as rain showers; and indeed, the forecast for the next week predicts chances [...]
Arb Sightings 2/25/10
With the vernal equinox (first day of spring) less than a month away, it’s difficult not to think of warmer temperatures. It was rather disappointing, then, to wake up to a thermometer reading of several degrees below zero this morning. And while this is nothing too unusual for late February, I think most of us [...]
Arb Sightings 2/19/10
Constancy appears to be the theme in the forecast for the next ten days; similar to this week’s weather, we’re in store for another week of mostly sunny days and temperatures in the 20’s with a couple minor chances of snowfall. Interestingly, the temperatures in southern and western Minnesota are cooler than those in the [...]
Arb Sightings 2/11/10
Whatever snow that might have sublimated during the past few weeks has since been replenished after the heavy snowfall we received earlier in the week, and thus we once again have a fresh-looking supply of several feet of snow. Unlike states further east that are currently dealing with a “snowpocalypse” or “snowmageddon,” Minnesota seems to [...]
Arb Sightings 2/5/10
To me, February always seemed to be proof that winter is one month too long. And indeed, this first week of February looks a lot like the first week of January, although the current temperature is hovering around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (I don’t think I need to mention how cold it was in early January). [...]
Arb Sightings 1/28/10
Following this past weekend’s unseasonable rain showers, high temperatures have once again dropped into the single digits and lows have dipped below zero. However, this cold spell shouldn’t persist too long, and by next week highs should once again be in the mid-20’s. The good part is that while the temperatures are cold, the sun [...]
Arb Sightings 1/21/10
The high temperatures over the past week have remained consistently in the high 20’s and low 30’s, which means we’ve been seeing several more mornings of hoar frost (the one on Tuesday 1/19 was especially heavy and beautiful). This morning, however, we awoke to a thick coating of ice. Unlike a hoar frost, an ice [...]
Arb Sightings 1/14/10
As daily temperatures are now reaching the low 30’s, we can begin to enjoy the bounty of snow we’ve received without fear of frostbite. Several snowshoers and cross-country skiers have been sighted in the Arb in recent days, as the snow is an almost perfect texture for these activities. The forecast for the next ten [...]
Arb Sightings 1/7/10
The above photo just about sums up how most of us in southern Minnesota feel about Mother Nature right now. Since the latter half of December, we’ve received several feet of snow and ice as a result of two or three major nationwide winter storms. Accompanying these storms, intensely cold air from the arctic has [...]