As the weather gets warmer in southern Minnesota, reptiles are beginning to emerge from hibernation en masse. Three species of snake—the Common Gartersnake, Dekay’s Brownsnake, and Redbelly Snake—are frequently recorded in the Arb. Though rattlesnakes can be found along the Mississippi River near the border with Wisconsin, all the snakes…
Reed Ebbinghaus
When you glance outside your dorm at the bleakness of Minnesota winter, your intuition will lead you to consider this a land utterly devoid of life. And yet, 35 native mammal species are inhabiting the frozen depths of the Arb as we speak. How do they do it? The smallest…
Among the top priorities of land management in the Cowling Arboretum is preventing the spread of harmful species which threaten the integrity of the Arb’s ecosystems. This is a difficult process, given that some invasives are more harmful than others and the removal process requires extensive resources. Ninety-nine non-native species…