April 1998

     Happenings in and around Linnaeus Arboretum

Listed below are a few observations from a year ago in the Linnaeus Arboretum area, and out of the area when indicated. These events can be used to anticipate upcoming spring happenings and will help to compare this year with last.

1 - By this evening nearly all snow is gone (no more snow fell in April). Ice out for Lake DeMontreville in Washington County. Western meadowlark first heard in Plato area. About 10,000 people in St. Peter without electricity yet; 450 homes destroyed there as result of March 29 tornado.

2 - Song sparrow singing. Common grackles carrying nesting materials. In Carver Park Reserve a bald eagle is seen breaking off twigs for a nest. About 200 tundra swans seen in northern Hennepin County. Mississippi River in Winona area a bit over flood stage.

3 - Ice-out date for Lake Waconia and Lake Minnetonka. Many lawn areas quite green. Swamp cricket frogs and wood frogs vocal this evening. Pasqueflowers bloom on southern Minnesota prairies. Eastern bluebirds feed on sumac berries. 13-lined ground squirrel out sunning.

4 - Wood ducks are egg-laying. Screech owl eggs hatched. Belted kingfisher returns to Kelzer Pond, Victoria. Waterfowl numerous on southern Minnesota lakes. Ice out for Gladstone Lake near Merrifield. Common loons first arrive in Aitkin area.

5 - First great egrets. First Carver County farmer doing fieldwork (plowing). Painted turtles up on logs, sunning. Crocuses blooming in outside garden.

6 - Female American robin gathering nesting material. First fox and vesper sparrows, hermit thrush, common flicker, and ruby-crowned kinglets. We enjoyed the smell of first-mowed lawn grasses. Scarlet cup fungus up in Rice County forests.

7 - Canada goose on nest, incubating eggs. A few tree swallows and brown-headed cowbirds are back. American coots arrive on Lake Waconia. Ice-out date for Lake Miltona in Douglas County and Green Lake at Spicer.

8 - Silver maples and American elms blooming. Flocks of dark-eyed juncos moving through. Wild prickly gooseberry shrubs have tiny green leaves. First purple martins return to Arnery, Wis., area. Ice went out of Portage Lake at Park Rapids.

9 - Two butterfly species that hibernate as adults--Milbert's tortoise shell and comma--were on the wing. Both American crows and American robins are feeding on sumac fruit. American goldfinch males showing big splotches of brilliant yellow.

10 - First rhubarb pulled for sauce. Some gardeners planted potatoes. Wood-chucks out sunning. Siberian squill blooming nicely.

11 - Leopard frogs calling. Wood duck started incubating nine eggs. Tree swallows claiming nesting boxes. Bloodroots blooming in forest. Forsythia 'Northern Sun' shrubs in full bloom. Eastern phoebe and brown-headed cowbirds return to Laporte area. Ice covers left both Upper and Lower Bottle Lakes and Lake George, all in Hubbard County.

12 - Notice green tinge in tops of boxelders and willows. First mosquito bite. One thousand plus American coots on Clear Lake in Waseca. First barn swallows in rural Waseca. Ice out for Leech Lake in Cass County, Kabekona Lake in Hubbard County and Arrowhead Lake near Britt.

13 - Rue anemone now blooming in forest. Thirty white pelicans in flock on Lake Waconia. Star magnolia blooming. Tamaracks have new green needles out a quarter-inch. Turkey vultures soaring over Elm Creek Park.

14 - First chipping sparrow. Small waves of yellow-rumped warblers moving through. Red admiral butterflies on the wing. First blue darner dragonfly.

15 - First brown thrasher and female red-winged blackbirds. Female northern cardinal began incubating eggs. Sixteen duck species observed in Hennepin County. Huge influx of American coots on Lake Waconia; more than 1,000 seen in rafts.

16 - Boxelder trees have tiny leaves and started blooming. American woodcocks "peenting" on territories at daybreak and after sunset. Prairie chickens display on booming grounds near Felton, Minn., just before sunrise to 8 a.m. or so.

17 - Wild leek leaves up 6 to 8 inches. Cedar waxwings feeding on common buckthorn fruit. Ruby-crowned kinglets moving through. Male catkins of the eastern cottonwood trees are drooping.

18 - American elm seeds falling. Mallard duck incubating eight eggs. Robin pair feeding three newly hatched young. Eastern bluebirds are building nests. In Cambridge area, house wrens sing and ruffed grouse drum.

19 - Waconia-area farmer planted field corn. Dandelions blooming on sunny slopes. Eastern cottonwood trees began leafing out. Statewide, about 16 percent of oats and 10 percent of green peas have been planted. In Durand, Wis., many daffodils bloom, first tulip flowers open, rhubarb stalks are about 12 inches long and perfect for pulling, and wild strawberry plants began blooming.

20 - First leaves out on quaking aspen trees. Crabapple trees have small leaves and clusters of flower buds are visible. Asparagus is up tall enough to harvest. Wild ginger, marsh marigold, Dutchman's-breeches and springbeauty are a few of the wildflowers now blooming.

21 - Weeping willows have yellow-green glow with new leaves. Sugar maples have first leaves out and are starting to flower. Both Sungold and Moongold apricot trees start blooming. Common snipe "winnowing." Field corn planting is underway in southern and western Minnesota.

22 - First American toads trilling. Horned lark young leave nest. Brown thrashers sing and garter snakes out sunning. Leopard frogs, American toads, and chorus frogs very vocal.

23 - Spring is running about 13 days ahead of last year as far as plant development. Tulips blooming nicely. Tree swallows are nest-building. Violets, bellwort, and cut-leaved toothwort are among woodland blooming wildflowers. Much fieldwork, including planting, being done by Carver County farmers.

24 - First shade in deciduous forests. Red oaks starting to leaf out. Truck farmers in Belle Plaine area are planting sweet corn, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and radishes.

25 - About 4:48 a.m. American robins began singing. Purple martins return in numbers. In Park Rapids area, quaking aspens began leafing out today, and the surface temperature of Portage Lake is 57 degrees F.

26 - First leaves out on butternut trees and both staghorn sumac and red-osier dogwood shrubs. Scarlet elderberry starting to bloom. Apricot trees blooming nicely. Statewide, field corn has been planted on 26 percent of the acreage; spring wheat is 33 percent in and sugar beets 56 percent.

27 - Jack-in-the-pulpit flowers first open. Pear and plum trees blooming nicely. First leaves out on green ash trees.

28 - Crabapple trees starting to bloom. First leaves out on wild grape vines. Carver County farmer planting soybeans. Between St. Peter and LeSueur, there are beautiful green tones in the Minnesota River Valley from all the newly leafed-out deciduous trees.

29 - Common purple lilac begins blooming in Waconia. First eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly on the wing. First Canada goose goslings. First Junebug on the wing.

30 - Wild plum trees in full bloom. Two peregrine falcon eggs hatched in nesting box on NSP tower in Oak Park Heights.