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 in a stagnant state, but that is certainly not the case. While there…
Arb Notes
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 — a bird of prey that might even specialize in catching pigeons —…
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. The shell of the organism is relatively thick as well, one of the hardest of…
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 venomous neurotoxin, hunting insects, earthworms and even small mammals is possible. However, because of their extremely fast metabolic rate (their highest recorded…
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, many can easily avoid detection. Some species may be difficult to find due to their biological characteristics. For…
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 of dangerously dark ice. Mind your steps, but do look around if you ever hear a shrill, metallic…
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 loves spending time out in the Arb. Cross-country skiing is…
These days, a cool blanket of snow has come to rest over all of campus, and when the temperatures drop below zero, it’s hard to imagine leaving the complex, much less living out there. How do different Minnesotan fauna survive, and which animals might still be active when you walk…
Garlic Mustard, or Alliaria petiolata, is native to Europe and usually found from Czechia to Italy. Now the weed can be found in areas such as New Zealand, North Africa and North America. For North America, the introduction was in 1868 with the first reported citing being in Long Island,…
Some insects have the strangest, sci-fi-inspiring characteristics. On some dead trees in the Arb, you can sometimes see small but deep holes on the trunk. The holes can be caused by many insects, among them two kinds of wasps that are particularly intriguing — pigeon horntails (Tremex columba) and giant…