Prairie Creek Community School in Northfield
Theo: “Hi, this is Theo-”
Andrew: “And this is Andrew-”
Theo: “And we’re from Prairie Creek Community School-”
Andrew: “Way down south in Northfield, Minnesota.”
Theo: “Both our red oak and our white oak have leaf out.”
Andrew: “The crab apples are blooming!”
Theo: “There are daffodils in full bloom.”
Andrew: “The Mourning Doves are chasing each other, possibly mating.”
Theo: “We didn’t see any juncos this week-”
Andrew: “But we’ve seen a lot of herons and Silas saw a rookery by the river.”
Theo: “There are a lot of House Finches and Chipping Sparrows.”
Andrew: “There was a Brown Thrasher singing away at the top of our oak tree.”
Theo: “There are three baby cardinals in a nest in Michelle’s yard.”
Andrew: “We’ve seen a lot of painted turtles.”
Theo: “There are a lot of bunnies and squirrels.”
Andrew: “And at my house, you can’t fall asleep until the frogs stop singing…which means you can’t fall asleep.”
Theo: “Jakob saw the first oriole on May 9.
Andrew: “Penelope saw the first hummingbird on May 2-
Theo: “And Theo saw the first toad on May 2.”
Andrew: “We’re still on the lookout for a monarch.”
Theo: “This has been Prairie Creek-”
Andrew: “One more step along the phenology journey.”
Oak Grove Elementary School in Bloomington
“Hi, this is Elton, Charlotte and June reporting from Oak Grove Elementary in Bloomington, Minnesota.
“We are having unseasonably hot and sunny days. Next week we might even hit the 90s for high temperatures.
“This week, we explored our DNR school forest. We found a bird skull at the base of a tree. We found fallen trees, mushrooms and quite a few caterpillars. We identified poison ivy and we think we found an assassin beetle.
“We noticed everything was so green and alive. Our forest is looking healthy, and we are noticing so much growth, even compared to last week.
“Next will be our final report of the school year. That’s all for today, stay tuned for the next OGE Phenology Club nature episode.
“Get yourself out to enjoy nature!”
Justice Page Middle School in Minneapolis
Linwood Elementary School in Wyoming, Minnesota
"Greetings from Mr. Steffen’s fourth grade class in the Linwood School Forest. This is Asher, Ariya, and Chance reporting on our observations from the week ending May 9.
“This week we observed that the leaves on the fallen part of our red maple are emerging much slower than the leaves on the lower section that still has roots in the ground. The black walnut has leaves and some green growths that look like green corn cobs.
“We also observed that all the flowers are gone on the box-elder with only the leaves remaining. Our lilac trees are bursting with little closed purple flowers with a few starting to open.
“A few people have noticed ‘cotton’ floating in the air recently around their houses, but when we observed our cottonwood, all we saw were little green leaves that looked waxy. That tells us it is a male tree.
“We also have many students reporting that they are seeing butterflies, wasps, bees, and MANY ticks. Someone saw a turtle in a pond.
“That is all from the Linwood School Forest and remember: There is no place like Linwood!”
Little Falls Middle School
“This is Bjorn and Nash reporting from Little Falls Middle School. This is our phenology report for the week of May 11.
“This week really brought the return of several new birds. We have spotted hummingbirds, orioles, catbirds, meadowlarks, Chimney Swifts and Brown Thrashers.
“On Mother's Day we saw a tiger swallowtail butterfly and a silvery blue butterfly.
“We did get a couple of great videos this week, one was of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers going through their courtship display.
“We had another video from Drake of a beaver swimming and doing a big tail slap as a warning sign.
“The cutest video captured this week had to be from Emily, as she found a baby raccoon as it was curled up and sleeping.
“We have seen a large number of spiders in the past week, from zebra and bold jumping spiders to 6-spotted fishing spiders and grass spiders.
“The woods are full of Trillium (both large-flowered and nodding) and wood anemone, as well as the unique flowers of the Jack-in-the-pulpit.
“Delilah found a bright green insect, which turned out to be a 6-spotted tiger beetle.
“There were at least two Barred Owls calling back and forth in the middle of the day.
“The morel mushrooms are up, so if you are lucky enough to know a spot to look for them, this is the time to get out and start picking.
“We did see a Harris’s Sparrow and noticed the White-throated Sparrows are still in our area.
“One brand new bird for us was a Golden-winged Warbler. We also had sightings of a Great Crested Flycatcher and Ovenbird.
“That is our report for this week, until next week, keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep connecting with the great outdoors.”
Baxter Elementary School
“Hello from Mr. Macejkovic’s class at Baxter Elementary School. This is the phenology report for the week of May 12. Our names are Caleb, Gunnar and Thomas, and we are your phenologists for this week.
“It has been super hot this past week. We’ve had temperatures in the 70s and 80s, and even hit 90 degrees on Sunday! All that warmth has really pushed our plant growth.
“Over the past week, our first big toothed aspen leafed out on Saturday, May 10. Red oaks leafed out on Tuesday, May 8, and white oaks on Friday, May 9. The red oaks are dropping their pollen everywhere: Our cars and sidewalks are painted with green dust.
“Lilacs leafed out on Thursday, May 8, and Gunnar has a plum tree that leafed out on Sunday, May 11.
“Tulips were reported blooming on Wednesday, May 7.
“Our fox, racoon, and coyote are very active on our trail cams. On Tuesday, Alaina saw a black bear with two cubs and Bryson saw a fox in his yard.
“Gunnar reported a June bug and pseudoscorpion, and Elsie saw an iridescent green bug that we think was a six-spotted tiger beetle or a green June bug.
“Elsie reported our first hummingbird seen on Friday, May 9, which is average for us. We’ve heard they arrived earlier, but hadn’t seen one yet. Dewey saw saw-whet owls, and Mr. Macejkovic has had Barred Owls singing to each other across his neighborhood.
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!”
Roots and Wings Forest School in New York Mills
Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Clare and the students from Saints Peter and Paul School in Richmond.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 5-6, we had glorious summerlike weather with the first 80-degree temperature since September 27, 2024.
“During our sunset canoe trip, we saw the season’s first snapping turtle, Common Loons and the dead Trumpeter Swan on the lake.
“Marsh Marigolds are blooming, and we saw lots of white flowers in the forest. We also saw a garter snake in the woods, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, deer and red squirrels.
“Spring is a perfect time to explore nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside, check for ticks and LIVE CONNECTED!”
This report is brought to you by Roland, Alyssa and the students from Battle Lake Elementary and Wesley, Soren and the students from Good Shepherd School in Golden Valley.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 5-7, we experienced the first 70- and 80-degree temperatures of the season.
“We witnessed a squirrel tussle at the feeder between a grey squirrel and a red squirrel. The grey squirrel chased the red squirrel off, but red did not give up. He snuck up behind grey and either pulled the hair on his tail or bit his tail, launching grey off the feeder. Red was the ‘winner, winner, bird seed dinner!’
“All the trees and budding, growing their leaves for the summer. We also saw fiddleheads of many different kinds of ferns, and beautiful yellow marsh marigolds. Serviceberry trees are in bloom and we found purple hepatica flowers in the grass.
“One of the highlights was seeing the beavers in the lake as well as both snapping and painted turtles.
“In the woods, the vernal ponds were teeming with mosquito larva, foreshadowing a ferocious mosquito season.
“We also saw a pair of Common Loons fishing near the beach and a handful of garter snakes.
“It was a great week in nature and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”
This report is brought to you by Alaina, Ava, Trinity and the students from Minnewaska Area Elementary in Glenwood.
“During our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center on May 7-9, we experienced near perfect spring weather with a high temperature of 70 and a low of 30.
“It was a good week for bird watching. Our group saw goldfinches, male and female House Finches, Nashville Warblers, Blue-winged Teals and Red-headed Woodpeckers.
“The saga of the dead Trumpeter Swan and its grieving mate continues. Surprisingly, no scavengers have claimed the body of the dead swan. After more than a week and a half, the grieving mate still spends a good part of the day near the body. The other swans on the lake have come to visit, having a swan intervention, perhaps. We are curious how long the grieving swan will remain by its dead mate.
“The two resident Common Loons were still seen fishing together. This means they are either not yet on the nest, or they are both males and Long Lake is a bachelor lake again this year.
“In other sightings, our group observed a beaver, muskrat, otters, painted and snapping turtles, a tussock moth caterpillar, chipmunks, gophers, red and gray squirrels, and grey tree frogs sunning themselves in a tree.
“The grass is turning green, and flowers are blooming, including marsh marigolds, wood anemones, hairy woodrush, and serviceberries.
“The lake level is a relatively low 1.66 feet at Long Lake’s DNR depth gauge.
“It was a great week in nature, and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”
Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids
“I'm Jameson, I'm Zach, I'm Blayze, I'm Oliver, I'm Zendaya. We are reporting from Heartland Lakes Community School in Park Rapids, Minnesota. Today is May 7, 2025. Today, our whole school visited Deane Park. In this report, you will hear from each crew.”
“Our crew did sit spots, whittled, and made basswood bark cordage. We noticed a big tick, a male Mallard duck flying, and a leaf that look like a dinosaur.”
“My name is Lily. My name is Ainsley. My name is Ryan. My name is Hadley. My name is Teddy. We're the first-grade crew! We went on a bird walk. We saw a robin, a Red-winged blackbird, a Mallard duck and a grackle.”
“My name is Josie. My name is Macy. My name is Charles. We're the kinder crew! We went on a tree walk. We saw a birch tree, we saw a red pine, we saw a white pine, we saw a burr oak, and a cedar.”
“My name is Avery. This is Olivia. This is Quinlin. We're the 2/3 crew! We saw tadpoles in cups, and the tadpoles- some were a lazy potato and some were flopping like a fishy fish. We found some northern leopard (frogs) in the swamp.”
North Shore Community School near Duluth
“Hello from North Shore Community School on the north shore of Lake Superior. This is the phenology report for the week of May 3, 2025. My name is Noah, and I am your phenologist for this week!
“Mrs. Rolfe’s neighbor enjoyed watching a Sandhill Crane in their field, near the Korkki Road, on Saturday, May 3. This week, Marcus has noticed lots of turkeys on the side of the road on the bus ride to Two Harbors. On Monday, May 5, Ms. Urban heard a Black-and-white Warbler singing in the school forest, and that evening she heard a woodcock meeping at her house at night. On Tuesday morning, May 6, Ms. Urban saw Barn Swallows on her bike to work. Also on Tuesday, Ms. Jackson spotted her first oriole at her bird feeder. Two hummingbirds were also spotted in Two Harbors on Tuesday. On Wednesday, May 7, Mrs. Rolfe’s class spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk soaring over the school.
“On Monday, May 5, Mrs. Rolfe’s class noticed several insects outside on the playground. They saw ants, spiders, and flies. On Tuesday May 6, Ms. Urban had a bunch of house flies landing on her while out in the school forest. Also on Tuesday, Lukas observed a dragonfly outside of Ms. Amber’s room, and Ms. Urban saw dragonflies buzzing around while sitting on her deck that evening.
“Ms. Urban heard spring peepers peeping as she biked past a wetland on her bike home from work on Tuesday, May 7.
“On Monday, May 5th several students saw that the school playground has its first batch of dandelions. This week the alder catkins have fully fallen off the trees, which means the aspens are done flowering. On Tuesday, May 6, the preschoolers noticed the first wild leeks, or ramps, growing in the school forest. They also noticed lots of green growth starting in the forest, and that the stream was lower than it was last week. Also on this day, some marsh marigolds spotted last week now have yellow flowers starting to bloom!
“This concludes the phenology report. Have a great week, and be observant!”
East Rapids Elementary in Grand Rapids
Cohasset Elementary School
Cherry School near Iron Junction
"Hi, this is Sailie, Scarlett, Ellie, and Nova reporting from Cherry School in Iron Junction, Minnesota on May 12, 2025.
We have been noticing that the weather has gotten much warmer. The grass and trees are getting noticeably greener every day and the bugs are out.
“On April 29, Annelise saw a Mallard duck, robins, an eagle, a Red-winged Blackbird, and a Turkey Vulture in Lavel Township.
“On May 5, Harlie and her mom and sisters saw 2 Sandhill Cranes near Hibbing.
“On May 7, Honey saw a lot of frog eggs in her pond near Hibbing.
“On May 3, Ms. Alexus saw a mud turtle on the side of Highway 100 near Aurora.
“On April 25, Tyler heard wood frogs in the woods near Cherry.
“On May 7, Ms. Aufderheide saw a pair of Wood Ducks in a creek on her way home from work near Cherry.
“We have been tracking bud bursts on some trees and bushes in the school forest. Some changes we noticed this week are that there is bud burst and catkins turning more green on the American hazelnut. On the paper birch, it looks like the twig is getting skinner. There is also early bud burst. The buds turned green but haven’t opened yet. On the beaked hazelnut, there is some bud burst and it looks like the deer ate more buds. On the speckled alder, the catkins fell off and there is a lot of bud burst and a small amount of leaf out. On the tamarack tree, the needles started to come out.
“Today during our walk in the school forest, we noticed two Merlins up in the treetops. We also identified it using Merlin Bird ID. We saw a Merlin in the same spot two weeks ago! We wonder if it is the same bird and if it has a nest in our school forest.”
“This concludes our phenology report. This has been Sailie, Scarlett, Ellie, and Nova reporting from Cherry School. Nature Rules!”
North Star Elementary School in Virginia
"This is Dallyce, Autumn, Brody, Peyton, Jake, Bella, and Alaina with a report from North Star Elementary on May 12, 2025.”
“Hey everyone, this is Dallyce. It sure is greening up out in the great outdoors! Our high temperature last Thursday was 63 degrees. On Sunday, May 11, we got up to 86 degrees!”
“This is Autumn. On May 7, we noticed the trembling aspens on our playground had leafed out. The leaves come out in really cool little clusters and spread out as they grow bigger.”
“Brody here. We are also noticing some growth of the needles of our tamarack trees. Needles are about 1 cm long now and the clusters of needles are still tightly packed together in the spur shoots.”
“This is Peyton. The silver maples across the street from our school also leafed out around May 7.”
“This is Jake. Our red maples leafed out on Friday, May 9. The apple trees in my yard have also leafed out.”
“This is Bella. Today Mrs. Engel showed us how to use a secchi disc to take a water clarity reading on Silver Lake. We estimated we could see 13 feet and 4 inches down. We also took a temperature reading and found that the lake is currently 58 degrees near the boardwalk out in front of Northern State Bank.”
“This is Alaina. I noticed some robins are collecting dead plant matter from my garden and flying off with it. They must be starting to build their nests.
“This has been a report from North Star Elementary in Virginia. Keep exploring the great outdoors!”
Great Expectations School in Grand Marais
Dax: “Hi this is Dax, Ella, Felix, Franny and Giddy reporting from Great Expectations School in Grand Marais MN, on Friday May 9. We had our first thunderstorm on April 28; 1.7 inches of rain fell, and we had indoor recess. We have a few ice out reports from local lakes: Lake Agnes (May 3), Brule Lake (May 6), Devil Track Lake (May 3), Gunflint Lake (May 7). Sag and Seagull still have a little bit of ice left. But the lakes are ready for fish opener this weekend.”
Ella: “The first loon was reported on April 27. They mostly stayed in the harbor in Grand Marais until the lake ice came out. There have been reports of grouse drumming in the woods. The first reports of Common Merganser, Hooded Merganser, pelicans and a Tree Swallow were made. The Woodcocks were getting very loud, and a community member sent in a picture of a clutch of their eggs into the school.”
Felix: “The spring peepers were first reported on April 28, they went quite after that for a few cold days and starting peeping again after May 2. The first dragonflies, bee and butterfly were reported over last weekend. Our first earthworm was spotted April 29.”
Giddy: “Our Otters class did a worm study this week and found no worms in our backwoods but a few in our front woods. Did you know that earthworms are invasive species in Cook county? Miss Rachael saw a 3-legged wolf on her drive home, and a big black bear was reported.”
Franny: “Lots and lots of plants are popping up. Spring beauty flowers are blossoming, dandelions leaves are in many places, and one flower has been seen. The fourth-graders pulled tansy, an invasives species, across the street from the school. Right now the leaves are really small. One student has 15 crocus and 3 iris blooming in their yard.”
Giddy: “This has been Dax, Ella, Felix, Franny and Giddy reporting from Great Expectations School. Where you can expect a great phenology report.”
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, <b>subscribe</b> to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
