Category: Arb Talk

What do leaves have to do with the seasons? Most people mark the coming of winter by the time that trees become bare and leaves litter the ground. The trees themselves, however, begin their winter preparations long before we humans do.

Fifth week means it’s crunch time at Carleton, but the stress level of students isn’t the only thing that is peaking right now.

Fall may be my favorite time of year, and October my favorite month.

Weeks have passed since the beginning of fall term, and the average Carl has long since settled into their fall routine.  The Arboretum, on the other hand, is a vision of constant change.

One important measure of restoration progress is the presence of indicator species – species that require specific conditions only associated with high-quality habitat – and this summer, two important indicator species were observed in the Arb.

I’ve been a student naturalist since my freshman year. I didn’t realize that I was signing up to write the last Arb notes of the term several weeks ago when I picked this date. It seems fitting, though, that I, rather than one of the younger naturalists, should get to have the last word of the year. It also gives me an opportunity to reflect on how the Arb, and my perceptions of the Arb, have changed over the last four years.

On a bright and surprisingly warm Saturday morning, 19 intrepid adventurers gathered at the Arb Office at 6am to partake in the decade-long tradition of the Annual Arboretum Bird Count. Initiated in 2000, this rite seeks to record the populations of the long-term and the migratory birds that frequent the Arb.

Last week Arb Naturalists had the pleasure of walking Spring Creek in search of river mussels.  If you’ve only ever encountered the sea dwelling mussels found on your local menu, you might consider taking to the rivers in search of these magnificent creatures.  It might surprise you but these animals have some adaptations as innovative as some of our own.

Last week, Arb Manager Matt Elbert found a rare Wood Turtle basking on a sandbar in the Lower Arb. These reclusive turtles are observed only once or twice each year in the Arb and are considered a “threatened” species in Minnesota. As its scientific name, Glyptemys insculpta, implies, Wood Turtles have ornately patterned shells that resemble wooden engravings and distinguish them from the more common Painted Turtles also found in the Arb.

Mreakkk mreakkk. If you wander near Kettle Hole Marsh, it is nearly impossible to avoid the enveloping racket of the chorus frogs.