Arb Talk :: Carleton College

Arb Notes for May 18th, 2012- Arboretum Bird Count

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:56:37 -0500

On a bright and surprisingly warm Saturday morning, 19 intrepid adventurers gathered at the Arb Office at 6am to partake in the decade-long tradition of the Annual Arboretum Bird Count. Initiated in 2000, this rite seeks to record the populations of the long-term and the migratory birds that frequent the Arb. At 17 spots throughout the Arb, the volunteers recorded the species they saw or heard in a designated 2-minute span. Over the years, the number of species recorded has ranged from 58 to 73 species.

Arb Notes for May May 11, 2012- Magnificent Mussels

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:08:46 -0500

Last week Arb Naturalists had the pleasure of walking Spring Creek in search of river mussels. If you've only ever encountered the sea dwelling mussels found on your local menu, you might consider taking to the rivers in search of these magnificent creatures. It might surprise you but these animals have some adaptations as innovative as some of our own.

Arb Notes for May 4, 2012 - Wood Turtle in Arb

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:10:17 -0500

Last week, Arb Manager Matt Elbert found a rare Wood Turtle basking on a sandbar in the Lower Arb. These reclusive turtles are observed only once or twice each year in the Arb and are considered a “threatened” species in Minnesota. As its scientific name, Glyptemys insculpta, implies, Wood Turtles have ornately patterned shells that resemble wooden engravings and distinguish them from the more common Painted Turtles also found in the Arb.

Arb Notes for April 27, 2012 - Frogs of the Arb

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:13:22 -0500

Mreakkk mreakkk. If you wander near Kettle Hole Marsh, it is nearly impossible to avoid the enveloping the racket of the chorus frogs. The western chorus frog is the smallest frog species in Minnesota, but you wouldn’t know that from their boisterous noise-making! They aren’t the only frogs in the Arb, there are gray tree frogs, Cope’s grey tree frogs, bullfrogs, green frogs, and the northern leopard frogs.

Arb Notes for April 20, 2012 - Pine Removal Project

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:36:00 -0500

While running, jogging, or walking through the pine plantation in the northern tip of the arb, one might not realize the obstacle it poses to restoration. Covering 30 acres, the dense pine forest holds quite a bit of wood. The pines aren’t native to this part of Minnesota. They occupy land that should bear oak forests or prairie. They shade out native plants, they spread pine trees to neighboring savannas, and prevent managers from balancing these nearby plots with prescribed burns. They’re also starting to die. As the pine population slowly turns to a stand of dry snags the risk of them snapping in a windstorm increases, making upkeep more time consuming and costly. In short it's time for the pines to go.

Arb Notes for April 13, 2012 - Spring Wild Flowers

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:14:44 -0500

All non-freshman will remember the abomination that was last year’s springtermnospring. This spring term has been far more comfortable, with temperatures over the last month averaging fifteen degrees warmer than during the same time period of 2011. Swimming in the Cannon, barbequing, disc golf, and half-heartedly doing homework on the bald spot are worthy fair weather pursuits, but if you want to have some real fun, go for a walk in the Arb and enjoy looking at some spring ephemerals.

Arb Notes for April 6, 2012 - Sky Dance

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:11:56 -0500

Nearly every morning and evening during April and May, the Arb plays host to an elaborate spectacle as the American Woodcock performs its annual rendition of the “sky dance.” With stubby legs, a plump body and a long, unwieldy bill that is used to probe the soil for worms, this clumsy-looking bird hardly looks the part of a celebrated dancer. Nevertheless, when trying to attract a mate, male woodcocks put on quite a show.

Arb Notes for March 2 – Not Just Fair Weather Friends

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:49:38 -0600

Winter often brings with it to the arboretum a sense of calm, stillness, and tranquility. The snow has fallen, the trees lay bare, and often the only noticeable sound is the wind whipping over the frosted prairies. The frequent chirping of birds is absent as the prairie longs for their song. But even in its silence the arboretum is deceiving. After all, not all birds fly south.

Arb Notes for Feb 24th - What Does "Natural" Mean?

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:13:36 -0600

Have you ever stood in the prairie in the Lower Arb and imagined that you were seeing the land before European settlement, that it stretched in all directions, and that if you walked over the next hill, you might see a herd of bison?

Arb Notes for Feb 17th - Beaver Fever

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:46:07 -0600

Two weeks ago, when the Arb naturalists were joined by retired Arb Manager Myles Bakke for a winter turkey-tracking outing, I also, for the first time, bore witness to some remodeling undertaken by a family of beavers.

Arb Notes for Feb 10th - The Rushing Fires of Spring

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:43:46 -0600

Not everyone thinks of it while walking or jogging through the Arb, but managing 880 acres of restored land takes a lot of dedicated work. Each Fall and Spring 40 students are employed by the Arb, and the work they do covers just about everything.

Arb Notes for Feb 4 - Wild About Turkeys

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:39:38 -0600

The closest encounter I’d had with a turkey in recent memory was at lunch, sandwiched between two pieces of wheat bread and a slice of cheddar cheese. I was startled, then, to see one (covered in brown feathers as opposed to cheese) observing me from afar as I slid past on my skies one cold evening in the Arb.