Linnaeus Arboretum
Page 2
Early May Sparrows
If you have bird feeders at home, right now you should be looking for three birds on the ground below your feeders: White-throated Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, and Harris’s Sparrows. White-throated Sparrows began appearing under the Interpretive Center’s feeders during the last week of April. Notice the bird’s bright black-and-white striped crown with a clear yellowish area [...]
April Showers…
On this rainy day in late April, I’m looking forward to the bright, vibrant colors of May. We desperately need today’s rain, as so far this spring has been another dry one and the next ten days’ forecast calls for no precipitation. But it is certainly looking greener, and many of our trees now have small [...]
Remembrance of Corpse Flowers Past
This blog post will immortalize, to the extent that the Tubes of the Internet are Immortal, some of the comments left by visitors to Perry the Corpse Flower. Her/his sibling Bob, who flowered at the Marjorie McNeely (aka Como) Conservatory last spring produced similar impressions – those are stored in the memories of thousands of [...]
Spring Robins (by the hundred)
Right now is peak time for visitors to the Linnaeus Arboretum. Winged visitors, that is. For the past few days there have been several hundred, maybe even over a thousand, American Robins flying around the Interpretive Center and feeding on the leftover crabapples and cranberries. Some of these days are just downright noisy with all [...]
Return of the Goldfinches
Yesterday saw an increase in birdfeeding activity at the Interpretive Center. The warmer temperatures, south winds, and increasing daylength have been noticed by our avian friends. Amidst the feeding frenzy this little guy appeared at the feeder outside my office (photo taken through screened window): This is the first American Goldfinch I have seen in the [...]
Winter Finches
This winter southern MN has seen an irruption (increase in number) of three winter finches: Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, and White-winged Crossbills. These species breed mostly in Canada and can be found in winter as far south as Duluth most years. Some winters, however, food sources up north become scarce, causing the birds to venture [...]
It’s Snowing!
As a child I was always exited to see snow falling, because it meant that fun times outdoors were soon to follow. As an adult, it’s always a joy to see the first snowfall of the season. The charm is somewhat lost, however, after the second snowfall. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. [...]
58 Days Until Winter
With low temperatures in the 20’s forecast for next week, it seems that winter will soon be upon us. The tree colors have already peaked, our first hard frost has already appeared, and it’s possible that our first snowflakes are just around the corner. But winter doesn’t officially begin until December 21, which means we still [...]
47 Species in Two Days
Bird migration is progressing well through the Linnaeus Arboretum. In fact, the last two days have been nothing short of amazing in terms of both the number of species and the number of individuals. The following is a list of the species that have been observed in or from the arboretum over the past 48 [...]
Warbler Wave!
Last night’s cold front brought with it several new migrants into the arboretum. This morning I found the following 8 species of warbler among these migrants: Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Wilson’s Warbler. A “wave” is the term used when you come across a large [...]