April Showers… Posted on April 29th, 2009 by

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 leaves on their branches. There is a patch of residual daffodils that are currently blooming near the Jim Gilbert Teaching Pond, and magnolias and forsythias are blooming across campus.

Behind the Interpretive Center, we’re seeing quite a bit of color at our bird feeders; check out this stunning male Rose-breasted Grosbeak that spent the afternoon here two days ago.

rose-breasted-grosbeak-3-27-april-2009

A bluebird pair has decided to nest in one of the arboretum’s new bluebird houses, built for us and mounted by Gustavus Men’s Leadership. Last I checked, there were five teal-colored eggs being incubated; it has been over five years since a bluebird last nested in the Linnaeus Arboretum.

Blue darner dragonflies have been sighted flying around the gardens; their cousins, the migratory green darners (one of only two migratory insects in North America…can you guess the other one?), should be arriving in another week or so. Western chorus frogs can be heard across campus; their clicking calls are reminiscent of the sound produced by running your fingers across the teeth of a comb.

Tomorrow, and the next ten days for that matter, look sunny and warm. As always, I greatly encourage you to take a walk through the Arb.

Here’s to May flowers!

 

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