Category: Arb Talk

This past Tuesday Carleton College observed Groundhog’s Day, February 2^nd, with little fanfare.  There were no panel discussions on the role that groundhogs play in the globalizing biosphere, no chapel services for groundhogs and their families, and no Sayles dances hosted by the rodent community.  We didn’t even have a groundhog-themed meal in the dining halls.  As a big supporter of groundhogs and all that they do, I was disappointed.

Winter in Minnesota is an unpredictable thing—one week at Carleton you need a parka, hat, scarf, and mittens just to avoid frostbite while walking to class, and the next week you’re getting rained on and you contemplate busting out a pair of shorts. Weather, without a doubt, is big part of life on Carleton campus, dictating whether we’re playing frisbee or broomball, eating a picnic lunch on the Bald Spot or staying in the dorms, huddled next to our radiators.

Many students going into the Arboretum consider it something of a place apart; a place where the human hustle and bustle of campus fades into the distance. It is easy to consider the Arb the preserve of plants and animals and forget the very large human presence there.

As the cold air and snow set in, most birds leave for warmer climes. Even though this weather may make you feel like hibernating, there are plenty of birds to be seen, some of which are visitors from even colder and snowier places than Carleton!

Milkweed!

If you’ve been out in the Arb lately, you probably experienced the nostalgic feeling of seeing soft white seeds floating across your path.  No, they’re not oversized dandelions, but instead one of a group of prairie plants will the common name of milkweed.

My freshman year at Carleton, I set out on a formidable task: to familiarize myself with the 800 acres of campus known as the Cowling Arboretum. Armed with a pair of sturdy shoes and an Arboretum map purchased from the college bookstore, I spent numerous afternoons after class walking and following the map—getting my bearings, enjoying a retreat from hectic campus life, taking in the visual splendor of the Arb’s prairie, trees, and wildlife.

White-tailed Deer can be seen year-round in the Arb. They are a familiar resident of woods and meadows all across the eastern United States. When one encounters deer in the Arb they seem to gambol off playfully. But come fall, the violence of the rut shatters the illusion of playfulness. Furthermore, the familiar deer is only familiar because of drastic overpopulation that makes it a major management concern for Arb staff.

Signs of autumn’s progression towards winter are all around. Apples hang heavy and ripe from the trees, birds flock together and prepare to fly south, students break out coats and scarves, and Northfield even experiences an early dusting of snow, hinting at what’s in store for winter term.

Mussels in the Cannon River? Yes, that’s right; Mussels don’t only live in the ocean.  There is a biologically unique set of freshwater mussels that live in fresh lakes and streams most everywhere.  In fact our very own Cannon River is host to 15-18 of the nearly 300 species of mussels in North America.

As the air temperature begins to drop and clouds blanket the sky with increasing frequency, some of us see the browning of leaves and steady disappearance of birds and other wildlife as a sign of the coming darkness of winter. Fall bird migration may not be the same inspiring sign of welcome change as spring migration, but it can be just as impressive.