Archive for Mary Patterson
April Showers Bring May Flowers
After this long rainy April week, May is finally here! With the month of May comes warmer temperatures, spring flowers, and increased bird activity. Average day time temperatures for Minnesota are in the 60s, while night time temperatures are in the mid-40s. We begin to see many spring flowers in the woodlands, such as bloodroot, […]
The Winter Life of Black-Capped Chickadees
After the summer bird species have migrated south for the winter, the black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus) remains present around the arboretum and a year-round favorite to many birders. Their energetic and curious behaviors make them one of my favorite species to observe. I can almost always rely on them to be active during any part […]
Insights From a Fall Tree
Maple leaf Falling down Showing front Showing back -Ryokan, Japanese Zen poet It is officially autumn. The birds and squirrels are busy creating caches of seeds for the winter, the grasshoppers are busily eating all the grass, and the leaves are changing color. I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about this […]