Posts tagged with “Arb Talk” (All posts)
-
In Defense of the Lyman Lakes Geese
16 May 2022With temperatures rising and the sun (kind of) shining, it would seem that spring has finally sprung! With spring comes new life in many forms– wildflowers are blooming and trees around campus are finally leafing out. My favorite spring arrivals, however, are the baby Canada Geese (Branta Canadesis) emerging from their nests after hatching.
-
Quest Item Acquired – An Owl Pellet
9 May 2022As the wind picked up and chilly raindrops battered midterm-wearied faces, the student naturalists took shelter in a patch of conifers next to the McKnight Prairie. While idling beneath the safety of the canopy, they came across this one tree, the base of which was littered with white droppings.
-
There are many “ologies” in the world relating to living organisms. Entomology, ornithology, mammalogy; the list goes on. One lesser-known discipline is mycology: the study of fungi.
-
A Quiet Friend
25 April 2022I often walk down Highway 19 on my way to the Arb, and I always keep an eye out for a friend of mine– he’s a lovely blue-gray color, and likes to stand in the water and rocks in the little Lyman Lakes waterfall next to the bridge.
-
Early Bloomers: Ephemeral Forest Wildflowers in the Arb
18 April 2022Despite the unexpected snow this last week, spring is still on its way!
-
Opossums in the Arboretum
11 April 2022On our weekly Arb walk this Friday, the naturalists spotted the body of a possum (Didelphis virginiana) near the entrance of the Lower Arb. Commonly known as Virginia Opossum, these little critters are about the size of a house cat, with a gray body, white face, and pink nose.
-
Are Carls or Crows More Resourceful?
7 March 2022Ubiquitous, overlooked, and implicated in superstition, the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) might be Northfield’s most fascinating organism.
-
Mammal Hibernation in the Arboretum
28 February 2022On February second, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow in a sunny Pennsylvania town. His prediction: Six more weeks of cold fronts and snow flurries. Three weeks later and a thousand miles from Pennsylvania, groundhogs in the Arboretum are at the tail end of a long winter spent below ground.
-
Oddities & Curiosities in the Arb Office
21 February 2022Skulls, skeletons, antlers, shells, feathers, nests, and mounted birds… As is conventional for any series naturalist’s office, our Arb office has a collection of animal remains and specimens.
-
Empty Nesters: Bird Nests in the Arb
14 February 2022During the spring and summer months in the Arb, birds are building their nests and raising their young. After the chicks have fledged, many birds will abandon their nests, and will build a new one the next year. For this reason you can find empty nests throughout the Arb during the winter!
Categories
- Arb News
- Arb Talk (Current Category)