Backyard Almanac

"And when you smile for the camera I know I'll love you better...." ~ Peg, written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen Larry Weber says recent rains have resulted in a wealth of "photogenic mushrooms," wildflowers are everywhere you look (learn more about the story behind the name of Joe-Pye weeds here) and everything from scarlet tanagers to summer frogs to the full moon are out to catch your eyes and ears.

Back in 1936 over a ten day period in July, Duluth set seven record high temperatures that still stand - including 106 on July 13. And that was back in the days when they took the temperature readings down by the lake. Uff-da.

Fireflies are out, so are baby mammals, insects, and the things that eat insects. And Larry Weber says July is the month of fledglings.

Last-minute spring rainstorms ushered in our first week of summer.  Animals are busy: fireflies are out, some breeding birds are beginning their second brood, particularly robins and phoebes. Gray tree fogs are still making noise, and summer will also bring the calls of mink frogs and green frogs.  Turtles, butterflies and some cicadas are emerging as well.

Larry Weber joins us from northeastern Nebraska this morning.  500 miles south of Duluth,  the berries that are just blooming here are ripe there.  In other words ... Larry is joining us from summer.      

Chances are Larry Weber is keeping paper records - he's old-school like that - but he's been a busy fellow regardless this week. For more information on the Minnesota DNR's breeding bird survey, start here.  For more information on the Minnesota Frog and Toad Calling Survey (there are even recordings you can listen to!), click here.

Larry Weber on our rainy season: two-thirds of all the precipitation we get comes between May and September ... and most of that comes in June.      

Less than half the normal amount of rain for May this year? But is it really fair to make up the deficit over a holiday weekend??

Larry runs down the numbers for us on our cooler-than-usual May so far ... and he and Laura Erickson were charmed by the same bird this week.      

Larry Weber spent the week teaching a Master Naturalist class at the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center and trekking his students into the woods to see spring ephemerals, warblers, budding trees and mosquitos - the larval and pupal forms thereof.

Tra-la!  It's May!  And Larry Weber reports the spring ephemerals are in full bloom and Jay Cooke State Park is the place to see them.  

For the first time in 14 months - since February 2015 - we've had a month that's cooler than normal.

Frogs are calling, red maples are flowering, painted turtles are crowding logs to bask in the (scarce) sun... and it's raining and cold.  Again.

Larry Weber says the brakes Mother Nature put on spring so far this month are a three-part blessing: 1) the snow lessens the danger of fire, which is usually a problem in April 2) the snow slows down the ticks, which also begin to create problems in April 3) the wet snows create a lot of moisture which flows into vernal ponds, making frogs - and Larry - very happy!

Eric Chandler sits in for Larry this week with a story about three generations enjoying the songs of the woodcock at dusk ... and hanging out with dad.

Charged with subbing for Larry Weber this week, Carol Andrews* got out and took a walk before sunrise (see photo).  She's got the scoop on the furred, the feathered and the phenological this morning. *Carol Andrews passed 11th-grade biology and likes to look out the window and go outside when she's not chained to a desk.  Luckily she knows people who know things about phenology.

Last Saturday's 60 degrees at the National Weather Service was a record high temperature for March 12 ... and this past week's snow/rain/slush event set a record for precipitation.  The 1 1/2 inches of moisture we saw on Wednesday is more than is usual for the entire month of March! 

Snow today ... sunshine tomorrow ... and thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday.  Larry Weber on March in the Northland.

This weekend's forecast calls for sunny skies and 45 degrees on Saturday ... and clouds, a 50/50 chance of snow and a high of 20 on Sunday. And that, says Larry Weber, is March in a nutshell.

The unseasonably warm few days we've had are in stark contrast to last week's 4-day stretch with sub-zero temps reported.  Though it did not get below freezing last night in many places in the region, Larry Weber points out that we are still a month away from the vernal equinox.  Hence, he has coined the term "pseudo-spring" for this unusual turn of events. As the days get longer, animals and plants are preparing for spring. The red-osier dogwoods [pictured] are starting to brightly exhibit their eponymous color, and the quaking aspens and pussy willows should be revealing their buds by the end of the month.  There are many animal tracks to see, and Larry notes the birds have been losing interest in his bird feeders.