Week of August 16th – 22nd

We welcomed Ain Day Yung Center, Planned Parenthood Teen Council, La Crosse Girls Choir, University of St. Thomas, Christ Community Church, Boy Scout Troop #309, Lake City Girls High School Soccer, Bradley Wedding and Reception, and the Carin Building Group.

The Ain Dah Yung Center arrived on Tuesday and stayed until Friday with their 11-19 year olds. While they were here, they were able to experience Earth Exploration, Birds, East Treetops, Oneota, and Orienteering.

The 10th – 12th graders of the Planned Parenthood Teen Council arrived on Wednesday for an overnight visit. The were able to participate in Group Challenges and East Treetops while they were here.

The La Crosse Girls Choir arrived here on Wednesday. The 5th – 9th graders were able to experience Group Challenges, Canoeing, and East Treetops before leaving on Friday.

Students from University of St. Thomas arrived on Thursday and stayed until Friday and participated in Group Challenges while they were here.

Christ Community Church came on Friday and Sunday with their 10-14 year olds. On Friday the were able to navigate with GPS units around Eagle Bluff and on Sunday they were able to experience East Treetops.

Boy Scout Troop #309 arrived on Saturday for a morning of West Treetops.

Lake City Girls High School Soccer arrived on Saturday for an afternoon of South Treetops.

The Bradley Wedding and Reception was held at Eagle Bluff, congratulations!

Full Moon

Eagle Bluff Director Joe Deden took some people canoeing on the Root River on Saturday and along the way, they built rock formations called a “Carin” for his annual Carin Building Group.

Phenology:

• There is a Full Moon tomorrow (August 24th).
• Cicadas are still calling.
• There was a large emergence in Sulfur Butterflies.
• Purple Coneflower is starting to turn brown.
• The large Wild Parsnip plants are turning brown while the small ones are still green.

Thought for the Week:
“Nature is my medicine.”
Sara Moss-Wolfe

NATURE TRIVIA QUESTION

Answer to Last Week’s Question:
Ground cherries are a part of the Nightshade family, along with Tomatoes.

This Week’s Question:
How many times can a Ruby-throated Hummingbird beat its wings in a second?

Welcome!!

This week 8 new naturalists arrived for an exciting and fun-filled year!

Brett Forestiere from Bartlett, IL
Colleen Kannen from Medina, OH
Creal Zearing from Princeton, IL
Emily Hughes from Fayetteville, NY
Moses Ong from Burbank, CA
Nick McGuire from Bloomington, MN
Patrick McNamara from Lansing, IL
Sarina Yospin from Newton, MA

We’re excited to get to know them and we hope they have a great 2 weeks of training!

Week of August 9th – 15th

We welcomed Firearms Safety Course, Mayo Clinic OB/GYN Residents, SELCO Camp Read-a-lot, Berean Community Church, St. Paul Maple Leaf Lutheran Church, Owatonna H.S. Girls Basketball, Mid-America Herbal Symposium, and Pleasant Valley Church.

Eagle Bluff our Second Annual Firearms Safety Course where 23 students came to take classes to receive their firearms safety certification. They arrived on Sunday the 8th and stayed until Wednesday and everyone passed!

On Monday afternoon the Mayo Clinic OB/GYN Residents came for an afternoon of Group Challenges.

The SELCO Camp Read-a-lot was held at Eagle Bluff on Tuesday and Wednesday. Librarians from all over Southeastern Minnesota stayed at Eagle Bluff and met about different books and programs for libraries.

Berean Community Church arrived on Tuesday  with their 6th – 8th graders for a day of GPS Pathfinders and South Treetops.

The St. Paul Maple Leaf Lutheran Church arrived on Wednesday with their 5th graders and up for a morning on East Treetops.

The Owatonna H.S. Girls Basketball Team also came to Eagle Bluff on Wednesday and spent the morning on Group Challenges and the afternoon on South Treetops.

Over the weekend, the Mid-America Herbal Symposium was held at Eagle Bluff. Some of the topics included Living with Cancer, The Treatment of Lyme Disease, 12 Organ Systems, Resistance Training, Growing Medicinal Herbs, and much more!

On Sunday the Pleasant Valley Church brought some of their 9th graders here to go up on South Treetops.

Tomatoes, Tomatillos and Ground Cherries, Oh my!

Phenology:

• A Fawn was seen that still had spots.
• Hundreds of Swallows were seen in Eagle Bluff’s Prairie flying around and catching insects.
• We continue to lose daylight as we get closer to Fall.
• Ground Cherries, Tomatoes, and Tomatillos are all being harvested from our garden!

Thought for the Week:
“Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.”
George Washington Carver

NATURE TRIVIA QUESTION

Answer to Last Week’s Question:
The Northern Flicker’s main source of food is ants.

This Week’s Question:
What family of plants are Ground Cherries a part of?

Week of August 2nd – 8th

We welcomed Metsker Family Reunion, Water Adventure Camp, Wal-Mart Team Meeting, Decorah High School Football Team, Scheels Gun University, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Perham Area FFA, Girl Scout Troop 11943, and hosted a Root River Canoe Outdoor Seminar.

The Metsker Family Reunion came here on July 30th and left on Tuesday August 3rd. While they were here, they went up on East Treetops and did some Rock Climbing.

Eagle Bluff’s Water Adventure Camp was held last week. While they were here, the 4th – 7th grade campers were able to experience Fly Tying, Fly Casting, Fishing, Canoeing, Treetops, Pond Dipping, and a field Trip to Forestville State Park.

Employees of Wal-Mart came to Eagle Bluff last week for Team Meetings as well as Group Challenges.

The Decorah High School Football Team came on Tuesday afternoon to challenge themselves on Treetops.

Employees of Scheels came for the Scheels Gun University which gives the employees an opportunity to learn more about the products they sell through seminars and going to the shooting ranges and trying them out.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office arrived on Wednesday for a day of Group Challenges and South Treetops.

The 8th graders of Perham Area FFA arrived on Wednesday night and stayed until Thursday for Group Challenges and East Treetops.

The 9th-12th graders of Girl Scout Troop 11943 came on two different days. On Friday, they came for an afternoon of Canoeing, and on Sunday, they came for an afternoon of East Treetops.

Tree Swallow by Jim Williams

Eagle Bluff held a Root River Canoeing Outdoor Seminar on Saturday afternoon.

Phenology:

• All of the Eastern Bluebirds have fledged and left the nest.
• Swallows are grouping together for the fall migration that’s coming up.
• Black-eyed Susans are in bloom.
• Blazing Stars are also in bloom.

Thought for the Week:
“Climb up on some hill at sunrise. Everybody needs perspective once in a while, and you’ll find it there.”
Robb Sagendorph

NATURE TRIVIA QUESTION

Answer to Last Week’s Question:
As the nesting season progresses, House Wren nests can become infested with mites and other parasites that fee don Wren nestlings. It is thought that House Wrens add spider egg sacs because once the spiders hatch, they eat the nest parasites.

This Week’s Question:
What is the Northern Flicker’s main food?

Week of July 26th – August 1st

We welcomed Gander Mountain and Lanesboro Day Care.

Employees of Gander Mountain arrived on Monday for a week of learning about the different products they sell in their stores.

Field Sparrow by Jim Williams

The 3-5 year-olds of Lanesboro Day Care arrived on Thursday for a morning of Pond Dipping and Rock Climbing.

Phenology:

• Eastern Bluebirds are finishing up their nesting season. There are 4 babies in two different nest boxes that will be fledging the nest this week.
• Monarchs are still laying eggs on Milkweed plants.
• Chipping Sparrows can still be heard singing.
• Field Sparrows can also be heard singing.

Thought for the Week:
“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.”
Walt Whitman

NATURE TRIVIA QUESTION

Answer to Last Week’s Question:
Adult Cicadas feed on tree sap through a proboscis under their head. While they are nymphs, they feed on root juice because they live underground for the first several years of their life.

This Week’s Question:
Why do House Wrens add Spider egg sacs to their nests?