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9/25/2023

joe pye weed

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A single Joe Pye Weed plant popped up near the pond.   This plant Eutrochium maculatum, is also called Spotted Joe-pye Weed, Purple Boneset...
9/21/2023

cruising on a log

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 Painted Turtles line up on the shore to soak up the sun. The free-floating log in the pond is a wonderful chance for the turtles to take a ...
9/01/2023

duck house

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We put up a nesting box for ducks last Spring, especially Hooded Mergansers.  It was too late for nesting season, but I read that sometimes ...
8/29/2023

goldfinches on goldenrod

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 Sneezeweed is blooming in the background.
8/10/2023

green heron

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    Green Heron stood on the log, soaking up the sun and looking for lunch in the water beneath.  Suddenly, he stuck out his neck and grabbe...
8/08/2023

blue vervain

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7/30/2023

molting woodpecker

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 Mullein blooms over a long time in the summer. Some of the flower stalks have produced seeds.        Birds molt old feathers and grow new o...
7/21/2023

empty nest

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  Cornell University has a program called NestWatch  https://nestwatch.org/ where citizen scientists report on birds' nests they see.  I...
7/17/2023

fledgling robin

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The nest is nearby. When the young American Robins fledged, this one flew only a little distance.   It sat a long time waiting for someone t...
7/11/2023

yellow loosestrife

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7/09/2023

spiderwort

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The Spiderwort Tradescantia  in the riparian area around the pond bloomed for a few days.  Then, the flowers disappeared. Critters have been...
7/04/2023

smooth oxeye

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Heliopsis helianthoides, also know as Smooth Oxeye, is flowering in the wildflower patch near the pond.  Smooth Oxeye has a long blooming pe...
7/03/2023

bergamot

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On June 24 Red Bee Balm Monarda didyma started to show her deep red buds. On July 3, Red Bee Balm is in full red bloom alongside lavender W...
6/24/2023

dragonfly - Widow Skimmer

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The widow skimmer Libellula luctuosa ), part of the group 'king skimmer' dragonflies. It has large bulky body (compared to other spe...
6/22/2023

two killdeers

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I've seen two Killdeer around the pond since early June.  I wonder if they're are pair or siblings?   If they are a pair, wonder whe...
6/21/2023

milkweed

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6/17/2023

ducklings napping

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6/16/2023

killdeer

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Killdeer Charadrius vociferus is a shorebird that is part of the plover family. About the size of a American Robin, it has very long legs a...
6/10/2023

floating log

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 We tied a weight to a driftwood log, and put it offshore for the turtles to sun themselves.  There are several logs partly on the shore but...
6/05/2023

prairie smoke gone to seed

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  We added Prairie Smoke  Geum triflorum  to the riparian area around the pond last year. They survived the winter, and bloomed mid-May.  No...
6/03/2023

blue flag

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  Northern Blue Flag Iris versicolor has a deep blue to purple flower.  It is also called Harlequin Blueflag. It grows on lake shores, swam...
5/29/2023

ox-eye daisy - invasive

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  Ox-eye Daisy Leuceanthemum vulgare  is a perennial herbaceous species with a creeping root system.  This daisy is not native to Minnesota...
5/26/2023

song sparrow

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  Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia   live up their binomial nomenclature 'melodia' by singing a delightful song, enthusiatically, and ...
5/22/2023

nest box Tree Swallows

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Tree Swallows nest in cavities . . . old woodpecker holes in trees, or nest boxes.  They do not go far south in winter; they return to Minne...
5/21/2023

ducklings, Mallard 2023

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 This clutch of Mallard ducklings came to the pond a few days ago, led by their mother.