Over this past weekend during the City Nature Celebration, I mostly stuck close to campus to make my observations. On Friday, I went to Centennial Woods, where I found a majority of the species I observed. On Saturday, I walked around Athletic Campus, down the Burlington Rec Path, and through the neighborhood across Spear St.… Continue reading Bio Blitz, Baby!
Last Post!
Hi hi! Last Salmon Hole blog of the year! Wild! I ran down to my phenology spot on another sunny April day while listening to my favorite science podcast (Ologies w Alie Ward go check it out!!!!). The trees have finally budded, all at once, in the way that they do every northern spring. Still,… Continue reading Last Post!
Tree ID Part 3!!
Welcome to part tree!!! (hehehe) Anyway, this beautiful sunny April day still yielded approximately zero observable buds on my red oak, much to my disappointment. Shouldering this tragedy, I took some pictures of the tiny, fuzzy buds that I could just make out on my tree’s twigs. Once again, the lack of snow at the… Continue reading Tree ID Part 3!!
Tree ID Part 2!
Howdy! On this fine spring day, I revisited my (probable) red oak near Salmon Hole to make sure that it too was enjoying the nice weather. After I managed to identify which tree I had visited previously, I realized, tragically, that I could no longer reach the branches to inspect the twigs now that the… Continue reading Tree ID Part 2!
Tree ID!
To be honest, I did not go all the way down to the river today during my visit to Salmon Hole because my hands were getting too cold and the was snow in my shoe 
However, I did manage to identify what I am 80% sure is a northern red oak near the top… Continue reading Tree ID!
Centennial Woods Visit
Hellooooo there, beautiful people! I made it out to Centennial Woods this pleasantly warm Valentine’s Day to join the NR 2 iNaturalist Wildlife Sightings project. While I didn’t come across any active wildlife, there was still enough snow to preserve the tracks of creatures that had previously roamed the paths—in addition to an astronomical number… Continue reading Centennial Woods Visit
New Year, Same Blog…
Welcome back! The debut post of 2023! Today I took a lovely walk down to the snow-covered Salmon Hole (on the blessedly dry sidewalk). The place I visited in December was in the awkward few weeks between fall and winter when all the beautiful leaves have fallen, followed by snow that stuck around for about… Continue reading New Year, Same Blog…
A Farewell To Fall
Hey all! Welcome to the last post of the fall semester! It’s officially stick season, and Salmon Hole went all-out for the occasion. I only saw a few leaves still attached to their trees blowing in the cold, dry winter wind. The buckthorn bushes were winning in this game of holding on, and some even… Continue reading A Farewell To Fall
Battle Creek
When you walk out the backdoor and down the backyard steps, (be careful, they get slippery this time of year), take a left onto the paved path. You’re in Battle Creek Regional Park now, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where I grew up. Take the path past the waterpark and the playground, across Upper Afton Road,… Continue reading Battle Creek
The November Post
Happy November! Or should I say (happy?) 95th anniversary of the Great Flood of 1927. This afternoon I shouldered my sturdy little backpack filled with pounds of chemistry homework and headed down the hill from campus to visit Salmon Hole. The difference in the woods and by the water was striking compared to when I… Continue reading The November Post