As the weather in southern Minnesota warms and insects begin to emerge, the Arb will soon become host to a stunning group of migratory visitors. These are the wood-warblers, a diverse family of exceptionally colorful, tiny songbirds. Almost 30 species pass through the Arb during spring and fall migration. Some,…
Arb Notes
It’s spring, and that means that some parts of the Arboretum will be burned! Arb staff conduct prescribed fires every spring when the weather is dry but plants are not yet green, and the pieces of prairie that can be burned see fire about every four years. The soils and…
Mating season is just around the corner for many animals that call the Arb home. For our native garter snake population, mating is quite the sight… and smell. Garter snakes, which are non-venomous, communicate through the release of pheromones. Pheromones are chemical cues that trigger a social response from others…
As the implausibly gorgeous weather jumpstarts Spring Term, many of us find ourselves savoring the warm breeze on lawns or under trees. Taking a stroll across campus, you likely would notice some elegant indigo flowers fluttering in the wind on their slender stalks; in the Upper Arb woods, those striking…
As the weather here in Northfield starts to take a more amicable turn, hopefully you all get a chance to spend some time outdoors and outside the hustle and bustle of Week 8. All around campus, colorful chirps are enriching our auditory landscape and giving us a break from the…
During this very chilly week in February, it is hard to imagine staying outside in one spot the entire winter. Trees are unfortunately in this situation: if without the proper protections in place, their cells can freeze, and the tree will die. So how do they survive? There are many…
Earlier this month, the Minnesota chapter of the Nature Conservancy released a report on the state of the climate crisis in Minnesota. While the data are startling—in fifty years, Minnesota summers will likely feel like those of Kansas today—the report also offers hope. Specifically, it outlines 13 natural climate solutions…
The consequences of rapidly accelerating climate change have put ecologists and conservationists in a moral and ecological pickle. The debate over assisted migration – whether humans should intentionally plant or move species into areas outside their native ranges – is highly controversial. Climate change has already driven many species out…