‘Friends of the Linnaeus Arboretum’ CategoryPage 2
Grisly bird mystery
owl and jay locked in a grisly mystery This is a photo taken by Art Straub near Henderson in mid March of this year. It is a red phase eastern screech owl and a blue jay found dead together in the snow. Art said that when the photo was taken, the bodies were still warm, […]
Make your own maple syrup — feel like a pioneer
In an age of grocery stores, dancing celebrities and robotic floor sweepers, we can sometimes feel pretty far removed from our pioneer ancestors. That’s when it’s nice to be able to do something as rugged and self-sufficient as turning tree sap into food. Yes, you too can be like the native people and […]
Groundhogs Set to Prognosticate!
Groundhogs (or Woodchucks as they are often called) are a strictly North American species. Having entered the doldrums of winter, it is now, more than ever, that we need a holiday to bolster our spirits. Thank goodness Groundhog’s Day is nearly here! Unfortunately, Groundhog’s Day is not nearly as prominent of a holiday as one […]
Cicada-killer wasps
Most gardeners have had the occasional encounter with a wasp. Whether it’s a confrontation with a paper wasp or an unfortunate misunderstanding with a hornet, most of us are personally familiar with the havoc and anxiety that a wasp can create. Then there are the cicada-killer wasps. When it comes to panic-inducing capabilities, the cicada-killer […]
Unnatural Father’s Day Hike
Hey. After not finding the time to make the next glorious and thorough blog post, I’ve decided that I just need to make quick and simple posts. So, just wanted to say that our first ever Father’s Day Weekend Unnatural Event was a great success. Not a huge turnout, but the 30+ folks who came […]
First Post of the spring, Butterflies are back
Hey all: First…. an apology. I’ve been the new Naturalist here at the Arboretum for over 4 months, but this is the first time I’ve made time to post. Rest assured that posts will be coming MUCH more regularly in the future. That aside, the butterflies are back! As of May 2, I have seen […]
Perry’s Putrid Plume Prods Primeval Sense
Here’s the latest roll-out of the serial tabulation of public impressions of Perry‘s complex, magnificent fragrance (#4 in the series). For the previous installment, click here. Note the change in perceptions over time. I thought that the fragrance changed significantly over the couple of days that Perry was in flower (though she/he was only in […]
An Animalically Fragrant Ruby Tuesday
For all of you Perry the Corpse Flower fans out there, Perry’s smaller cousin, Ruby, is now putting on a spectacular display, both visual and olfactory, in the Gustavus greenhouse (click here and here for posts on Ruby and her/his fans from last spring, along with graphic descriptions of his/her vile/sublime fragrance). Below are thumbnails […]
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 […]
Views from the Summer Solstice Garden Tour
On Sunday, June 22nd, the Friends of the Linnaeus Arboretum hosted a Summer Solstice Garden Tour that included gardens in southern Minnesota. The group departed from Gustavus and headed west to New Ulm making stops at both the August Schell Brewery Gardens and the home of Gigi and Scott Rysdahl, as well as New Ulm’s […]