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The Carletonian

Prairie Fire in the Arboretum

Gerrit Hoving, Cole Student Naturalist May 5, 2023

Spring has arrived, and the Arboretum is starting to flower and leaf out. But spring has also brought a couple of non-traditional signs to the Arboretum. Burned patches of ground, plumes of smoke —...

Arb Notes: Woodcock Funk

Kestrel Liu, Contributor April 21, 2023

With a funky tune in the background, a plump, long-beaked brown bird treads daintily, bobbing its body back and forth while keeping its head perfectly stable and keeping up with the beat. You might have...

Arb notes: The spring and squirrels

Arb notes: The spring and squirrels

Amelia Leonard April 20, 2023

With what may be the last of the snow, southern Minnesota has seen a flurry of activity amongst its many feathered and furry creatures. Hibernators have risen from their dens and nests; migrators touch...

Trees in jeopardy

Ella Daniels-Koch April 13, 2023

The city of Northfield recently published a press release confirming that emerald ash borers have started to infest Northfield ash trees (see northfieldmn.gov). This is bad news for the campus arboretum,...

Arb Notes: The Heavy Preserver

Jose Ortega April 6, 2023

The Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) is the heaviest-flying native bird in North America and has an average wingspan of 185 to 250 centimeters. Due to their size, they require around a 100-yard runway...

What’s under the ice?

Cassie Cunniff March 2, 2023

For the majority of the long, frigid, Minnesota winter, Lyman Lakes and the Cannon River freeze over, and layers of snow cover the frozen lake. As a result, it may seem like the lakes are dormant and...

Arb Notes: Colloquial Names

Kestrel Liu February 23, 2023

Flip through an older bird guide and you might find yourself at a loss, even if you are well-versed in birding. “A Pigeon Hawk? What is that?” You would know that it’s probably a bird of prey —...

Multipurpose organism

Jose Ortega February 16, 2023

The Spike Mussel (Elliptio dilatata) is a rather unique mussel. Besides its odd name of “Lady Finger,” not many species of mussels have a spike on their shell that can grow up to 12.7 centimeters....

Confusing names

Jose Ortega February 10, 2023

Although commonly known for their famous appearance in the movie “The Killer Shrews,” short-tailed and long-tailed shrews are not dangerous… to humans. With their thirty-two razor-sharp teeth and...

Arb Notes: Inventorying arb species

Avery Blumenthal February 2, 2023

Carleton’s Arb houses a plethora of species. It is difficult — impossible really — to determine all of the species that inhabit the Arb. Many have been observed, but despite intensive searching,...

Arb Notes: Fifty Shades of Cardinals

Arb Notes: Fifty Shades of Cardinals

Kestrel Liu January 26, 2023

It’s winter. It’s cold. It’s freezing your ears off every time you exit the building. The glaring white snow, though ethereal and enchanting, stings your eyes as you carefully tread between sheets...

Arb notes: Cross-country skiing

Lindsay Boettiger January 19, 2023

As a senior at Carleton, it's hard to believe that my first time ever cross-country skiing in the Arb was just last week. I’m not sure why it took me so long to try it out, especially as someone who...

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