Elk River, Sherburne county, MN
427 acres; oak woodland, wetlands and restored native prairie habitats

Park Notes
The park has a mixture of paved and non-paved trails. A 2017 source said "nearly eight miles of bituminous trails and over seven miles of natural mowed trails." The paved trails were wide and vegetation had been mowed about 2 feet back from the pavement so one could hike without tick protection on those trails. Mosquitoes weren't bad but we used spray. The non-paved trails looked wide enough not to have to bushwack but I would suggest using tick protection on those trails. There were benches along the paved path. (We didn't walk the mowed paths).

Trail maps were available but, on our visit, they had gotten wet from a recent rain and were unsable but maps were posted along the paved trails and we did alright by them for the most part (we got turned around once). Reviews of the park mention people getting lost in the non-paved trails in the eastern part of the park due to multiple paths coming together at one point.

There is a good sized paved parking lot with a port-a-john.

Traveling through Woodland Trails Park is the Great Northern Trail - a 4.5 paved trail located on an abandoned railroad grade. See links below for more info on that trail.

Visits
early Sept 2019
We hiked the paved Prairie Loop and Poplar Loop trails which was a doable hike. Warblers had been seen further north on the Great Northern Trail which runs through the park but we didn't want to hike that far from the only access point we could find. (the parking lot at the address below).

Birds seen: Turkey Vulture, Common Yellowthroat, Canada Goose, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Pheobe, Cooper's Hawk, American Redstart, Gray Catbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Black-and-white Warbler, American Robin and possibly either a Cuckoo or Great Crested Flycatcher - couldn't get a good look at it in the leaves.

Insects seen: Painted Lady butterfly, Monarch butterfly, Giant Swallowtail butterfly, White-faced Meadowhawk, Scudder's Bush Katydid, Gray Tree Frog (lots), Carolina grasshopper.
Fungi: can't identify these but there was lots!

We'd gotten a good start on the day and decided to drive north 20 minutes and visit Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge after eating lunch in the parking lot.

Useful links/info
entrance to parking lot : 20135 Elk Lake Rd NW; Elk River, Minnesota 55330
Woodland Trails Park : unofficial Facebook page
Woodland Trails Park : Elk River site (links to trail maps available at this page)
eBird hotspot reports

Great Northern Trail : TrailLink site
Great Northern Trail : Elk River site

City Nature Challenge 2019 was a huge success, with Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region logging thousands of wildlife records over the weekend, supported by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. This year, it's Lancashire's time to shine, so in the spirit of friendly competition we're joining our sister regions in the world's biggest wildlife recording event.

Whether you're a wildlife expert or absolute beginner, you can take part in City Nature Challenge. Here's how:

RECORD WILDLIFE
Sign up to iNaturalist and then download the app to submit records using your mobile phone. All you need to do is say where you saw each species, upload a picture and log what you saw. Don't worry if you aren't sure about the species - the app will give you suggestions based on your picture, and Lancashire Environment Record Network (LERN) plus other users will verify your record or suggest another species. If you don't use a smartphone, you can submit your sightings through the iNaturalist website.

From your garden to your local park or even a city centre, you can record wildlife absolutely anywhere. You may even want to join one of our City Nature Challenge events: https://www.lancswt.org.uk/events/city-nature-challenge

VERIFY RECORDS
Are you an expert in a particular field or an all-round naturalist? Why not join the challenge as a verifier? You can scroll through recent iNaturalist records and, if they're accurate, verify the species, or suggest the correct species.

HOST AN EVENT
Hosting events over the weekend of the challenge is a wonderful way to encourage more people to get out and record wildlife. If you can help us by hosting a recording event, a survey or a walk, please contact cvarela@lancswt.org.uk and we'll list it on our City Nature Challenge webpage: https://www.lancswt.org.uk/events/city-nature-challenge

Wildlife records are crucial to monitoring the health of our regions wildlife, so join us between 24 - 27 April in a celebration of the magical nature on our doorstep.

Cast your votes and be counted! You can 'fav' any observation that you like to vote for the Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. Located to the right of the photographs and just below the location map is a star symbol. Click on this star and you've fav'ed an observation. At the end of each month, we'll see which photo-observation has the most favs and crown them the monthly winner. Check out awesome observations and click the star for those that shine for you. Vote early and often!

Check out who is in the lead and see a list of all of this month's photo-observations.

As usual I hit up the trails by the Austin High school to find more insects, critters, or to get a good picture of creatures I see in the lake. The ones in the lakes are the hardest for me to get a capture of.

One evening I went out to Hulu Hut to eat with my family. During the take of family pictures, my son and I spotted some spiders that were up in the hut on the decks. Unfortunately the pictures of the spiders didn’t come out clear enough for inaturalist to identify.

There was another afternoon I spent in Elgin with a friend. Upon my way back to my car I spotted a dead baby snake, at least it looked like a snake to me. The app identified it as a squadmate, but I knew it was some kind of snake. I thought it was some kind of garden snake, but now I know it is called an earthsnake, thanks to the friendly people on inaturalist for the identification.

Hopefully in the future I will get better at capturing pictures of creature and critters so I can get an acccurate identification.

https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/21742-helpful-journals-guides-tips-from-inat-users

https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/31012-helpful-identification-guides#activity_comment_4109885

https://arcg.is/yeOXC

Join in the fun for the upcoming Boise Area City Nature Challenge! During the weekend of April 24-27, cities around the world will be competing to see who can make the most observations of nature, find the most species, and engage the most people in the 2020 City Nature Challenge. This is the first year Boise is participating and we need your help!

Participants will document their observations throughout the weekend with the app iNaturalist. Don't know how to use iNaturalist? Then join us for an upcoming workshop where we will show you how to use it. You will get all the tips and information you need to make the most of your observations during the City Nature Challenge.

Pre-registration is required. We recommend participants bring a smartphone or tablet with the iNaturalist app downloaded to the workshop but it is not required to participate.

Register here

Here are some journal posts various people have written that I have found helpful, (including a few I've written myself.) If any of the links don't work, please let me know! My HTML skills are very rudimentary!

Местоположения Respublika Krym, RU + water area заменено на новое - Republic of Crimea, city of Sevastopol, water areas, уточнены границы в Керченском проливе, расширена акватория.

Only 9 new Baltic amber inclusions were added to iNaturalist in January 2020 as effort was directed towards the transiting exoplanets project. Note that identifications are provisional - any help that can be provided to refine/correct the identifications would be greatly appreciated!

BA399-A: Fungus gnat (Mycetophilidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818305
BA400-A: Non-biting midge (Tanytarsini) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818306
BA401-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818307
BA402-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818308
BA403-A: Fungus gnat (Sciaroidea) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818309
BA404-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818310
BA404-B: Small wasp (Chalcidoidea) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818312
BA404-C: Stellate hairs (Tracheophyta) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818314
BA405-A: Fungus gnat (Mycetophilidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37818316

If you have any comments on the identifications uploaded so far, please update iNaturalist accordingly!

Thank you!

Martin

Tomorrow Phil will be leading a volunteer crew in planting the 100 bare root apricot trees that he recently picked up from the nursery. They are the Blenheim variety, grafted on hardy Nemagaard root stock.

The holes have already been drilled with an auger, 12-18 inches deep. He has constructed a jig to hold the trees centered in each hole while we put in a cup of alfalfa and collapse the walls to fill in the holes. He wants the roots to be able to penetrate the soil without bumping up against an impenetrable wall.

On another note, here is a great blog post on the native pollinators we hope eventually to encourage in our area:

https://www.grassrootsecology.org/blog/2020/2/21/all-creatures-especially-small?mc_cid=367fd7550c

In our world of parasitized caterpillars there are three very commonly used identifications:

1. Hornworm Parasitic Wasp Cotesia congregata
Applied to practically all wasp pupae that parasitize Sphinx caterpillars.
2. White Butterfly Wasp Cotesia glomerata
Applied to most wasp pupae that parasitize the Cabbage Butterfly family Pieridae
3. Saddleback Caterpillar Wasp Cotesia empretiae
Applied to most wasp pupae that parasitize Saddleback Caterpillars in the Acharia genus

While these terms are extremely useful in specifying the kind of caterpillar parasitized, they are inaccurate as to the exact species of Cotesia involved. Thanks @josefernandez-triana for pointing this out to my attention. I have asked if it would be possible to change each of these designations to refer to a complex of related species rather than a single species. As it is, these three species C. congregata, C. glomerata, and C. empretiae represent a whole lot of species yet to be better known, or even to be discovered. We need simplification with proper representation!

After class today, I took a walk around the Rez. It was cool and cloudy, but still a beautiful day. There were many people out walking their dogs, and I saw a lot of birds in the rez itself. There were also some blooming flowers and mosses on the trees.

Aloha-
As we start ramping up toward the weekend-long City Nature Challenge here in Maui, one of the biggest hurdles tends to be not being familiar with the iNaturalist application. We are in the process of developing some videos to help you get familiar with the app, but also consider joining us for one of our Meetup sessions, where you can get actual people to help you get the app set up and get guidance on how to use it. Join us on Meetup.com here: https://www.meetup.com/Maui-Nui-Natural-History/ Hope to see you soon!

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I can almost feel spring in the air. These past couple of warm (for Vermont) days have me picturing green shoots poking up through damp soil and long absent bird species fluttering high in the trees. The wild critters in my backyard are slowly spreading their legs and venturing beyond the forest’s edge. I returned last week from a couple days away to find my unplowed driveway and yard splattered with tracks of all sizes. Sadly, with the warm weather most had already melted into indistinguishable blobs.

Although the weather is slowly erasing all of the neat tracks around my house, I’ll take this warm spell. At this time of year, who knows how long it will last!

This Week on Tech Tip Tuesday

When studying the natural world, it’s rare to look at one species in isolation. That’s because biodiversity exists in a vast web, making it difficult to definitively tease apart one species from another. Many types of relationships exist between different species in an ecosystem and understanding how they work can provide valuable clues that can help predict how they might respond to changes in their environment.

Last week I talked about how to search for and map multiple species’ observations at a time. However, sometimes you may want to make connections between species when creating your observation. As I’ve mentioned here many times, iNaturalist is a powerful tool for collecting data on biodiversity. While collecting basic data about one species is useful, the more detailed information you can supply, the better. Given the vast web of relationships that exist, one important piece of information to include in observations is which species your observed subject is associated with.

Like many of iNaturalist’s other tricks, there is a fairly simple way to note associated species: by adding an “associated species” observation field. Maybe you’re already familiar with observation fields. Observation fields allow you to track information that iNaturalist isn’t readily recording. Users create observation fields, then choose whether to gather information in text, date, or numeric format. Anyone can create an observation field, however they are often generated by a project to gather specific details about observations. Once created, the field is available for everyone to use.

Today, I’m going to walk you through using the “associated species” observation field, however I invite you to explore all of the different options. There are many!

To find observation fields, go to an observation (your own or someone else’s) that has a species that is commonly associated with another species (Monarchs on Milkweed is one example). To find “observation field” scroll down below where Projects are listed on the right-hand side of your screen. You will see the heading “Observation Fields”. Click in the blank text box and begin typing in “associated species”. At some point, you will see it pop up in the list below the text box -- click on it.

Once you select the observation field you want to use, you’re now able to type out the name of the associated species. Unfortunately, this won’t auto-fill, so you will need to enter the full name of the plant (or animal or fungi) associated with your observed species. If you don’t know the associate by its species name, you can use genus or family names. Other users will only be able to correct these labels by commenting, not directly editing, so it is best to stick with what you know for certain. Since other users can add observation fields, I also encourage you to ask in the observation’s comments for the name of the associated species if you cannot find them yourself.

Once the associated species’ name is satisfactorily entered, you’re all set to click “Add” to the right of the text box. Now, when others come to look at this observation or export this data, the associated species will be clearly visible.

TTT Task of the Week

Take some time this week to explore the observations field. Add associated species to observations where appropriate. And no need to stop there! Check out some of the other options and see if any apply to your observations. Just remember, when in doubt, stick to what you know for certain and ask for help when you need it.

Thank you for helping us map Vermont’s biodiversity and happy observing!

Местоположения Respublika Krym, RUGorod Sevastopol, RU заменены на новое - Respublika Krym, RU + water area, созданное @mikvik с расширенной акваторией.

hola, este proyecto es para que puedan aportar con sus observaciones casuales de biodiversidad de la zona costera pueden ser flora o fauna.
Anímate antes que desaparezcan por las inmobiliarias.

Also be sure to join the "VanCortlandt Park Biodiversity" project on iNaturalist to witness our catalog of species found in Van Cortlandt Park! The project is sponsored by one of our Van Cortlandt Park Alliance employees and is a great resource to find out more about the park's wildlife.

1. My time is divided between munching on garden scraps, breeding and hopping about the fringes of open spaces like parks, meadows or farms! My fluffy white tail is but one of my charms. You may find it tricky to spot me as I hide in vegetation. But oh when you find me how you’ll be in ellation! So keep your eyes peeled and do not fret. I am the most common of my family here, thus on finding me you may be deadset.

2. I am an ephemeral flower who’s alternate name is a canine’s tooth. My yellow tinged petals make me easy to sleuth! I sprout in the spring but may be found nearly year round. In woodland habitats is where I am found. My brown-grey leaves resemble the hue of a certain fish. To gobble up sunlight is my only wish.

3. I am named for the way I resemble mens’ trousers. Don’t try to eat me as I carry narcotics like poppy flowers. I too bloom in early spring from March until April. Please do not pick me as the consequences will be fateful. To a moist shady area I am a lovely addition. So grab your camera and get started on your mission!

4. For medicinal purposes I am often used. If you have a toothache or sore throat I cannot be refused! Sprouting from my stem you may find white flowers. My capacity to heal is but one of my powers. The red juice from my underground stem gave to Indians dye, insect repellent, and war paint. However my petals are fragile and appear quite faint. At night I rest them by closing them tight. But not to worry; they open again at the coming of light.

5. I am a hooved creature who is mostly brown and medium sized. In North, South and Central America is where I preside. If you cannot hunt me down, take a picture of one of my family members. However, my cotton colored tail is what one always remembers.

6. I am a rare creature who presides near the sea. Near shores, wetlands, ponds or streams is where I will be. I am a carnivorous bird who spends his time wading. Upon a fish’s arrival my spear-like bill is awaiting. Though my prey swims freely unaware I am here. The deathblows of my bill should instill great fear.

7. For my leaves’ stinky aroma is what I am named. So if you come near me for the stench you may not be blamed. To remain inconspicuous I grow close to the ground. In wetlands and moist slopes is where I’ll be found.

8. While at first blush I am but a pretty set of painted wings. Through sipping the nectar of flowers fertilization springs. I collect pollen on my legs as I slurp tasty snacks. Pollinating and cross-breeding plants in my tracks.

9. I am a reptilian creature who hides in a cartilage shell. What animal I am you likely can already tell. My scientific name is “testudine”. In terms of my dwellings, they may be fresh water as well as marine.

10. Of the Phylum Chordata, I am the most likely to give you a fright. I can often perform flip-like motions and other tricks whilst in flight! My intelligence and keen eyesight allow me to hunt. So you’d better look out for me, if I may be blunt.

1.Solve the provided riddles and upload photos and the answers to the VCP Spring Solstice Scavenger Hunt on iNaturalist

2.To qualify for a prize, post a photo in Van Cortlandt Park to social media and tag us @VCPalliance

3.Once you have completed the steps above, email us at info@vancortlandtpark.org with your iNaturalist account name and social media username. Please include the subject line VCP scavenger hunt.

4.If you qualify, come pick up your prize at: 80 Van Cortlandt Park South

Below are links to our social media so you don't miss out on our upcoming events!

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/vcpalliance?igshid=5yw5yuy47z4m

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vcpalliance/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpalliance

Get excited! The City Nature Challenge has become one of the biggest global citizen science events around. This year, there are over 200 cities participating in the CNC with more to come as they get their projects set up. Check out the current list here: 2020 City Map and List.

While you're on the main City Nature Challenge page, check out the Education Toolkit to find resources to use in the classroom. If you have any questions about integrating the CNC into your classes, let me know in the comments below!

Saturdy 29th of February and Saturday 7th of March at Brenton Haven Hotel @ 12h00
Contact Christa: christa.a.leroux@gmail.com

Tuesday, 3rd of March (subject to confirmation) 10:00 at Slow Roasted in Sedgefield.
Please let me know if you will be able to attend - just so that we have an idea of numbers.
Contact : Dr Louw Claassens Tel: 0829289391 Email: kyss.louw@gmail.com

9 - 10am - Platica: "Como hacer observaciones en NaturaLista?"
10am - 3pm - Recorridos guiados por la zona
1pm - Taller para maestros y professores
* Tendrás hasta las 10am del domingo 1 de marzo para subir observaciones

My nature walk took me through a suburban park without any landscaping, and then to a pond of a similar sort. The park had a natural creek running through it that in some spots had natural obstacles, and thus in some spots, there was standing water. The pond was artificially made, however, the organisms present appeared to be native. An interesting behavior that I noticed between the Mallards and Canadian Geese was that the Mallards appeared to be using the Geese as predator protection. That is to say, the geese were quite aggressive and the mallards were behind them when I approached.

As it's been an insanely busy week for me it was nice to set aside some time this morning just to walk around the neighborhood and observe the other species calling this area home. While it was overcast, the weather was wonderful as it is finally starting to warm up. I spent most of my time looking in cut throughs between houses and at the park and saw a few interesting things. I saw a ton of squirrels and what I believe was a cardinal but could not get a great picture of them. I think in the future I may have to switch to a real camera and not just my phone as I am realizing it is extremely difficult to get quality photos of small creatures that are frightened of you. Next time perhaps I will focus on plant life instead.

Today we walked around the reservoir in the morning and it was wonderful and sunny. It got cloudy towards the end of our walk, and the wildlife was relatively quiet in the morning. The birds were spread out throughout the reservoir rather than being in one concentrated area, and there were not many people out. I've walked the reservoir multiple times, but I had never noticed the variety of mosses around the area. They all look the same from far away, as do the birds. I had always assumed all of the smaller birds were ducks, but this morning we saw many different types. Overall, it was a very good way to start the morning.

I tried to search for Confluence Park as a place and couldn't find it so assumed I had not set it up as a place so did it again. It didn't seem to work but eventually had a place that indicated observations. Well after two times, seems like it should be there.

Welcome to the Denver EcoFlora project! The mission of this project is to connect citizens with biodiversity and natural history collections in meaningful and engaging ways.

Our main goals are to:
1. Develop and host workshops on the use of iNaturalist and reporting observations to the EcoFlora project.
2. Provide outreach to underserved communities to increase diverse participation.
3. Lead field trips to floristically diverse or under-observed areas in the metro area to document biodiversity.
4. Develop engaging EcoFlora challenges to retain participation.
5. Speak on the value of natural history collections in understanding biodiversity, climate change, and conservation.

Thank you for your interest!

Unfortunately I was gone for the weekend due to a tournament so I was restricted to only "venturing" Boston College campus. I was not very successful in finding wild plants or any animal other than squirrels but the photos I presented were as close as I could get. It was very tricky to identify the one bush because since it's winter, no flowers are bloomed, but I did my best identifying it. I also came across this really interesting red plant that looked like sticked coming out of the ground. I could not identify it and I didn't even know where to start when trying to search it up. While walking, the weather has been particularly nice these past few days, today especially, I didn't even have to wear a parka. Although, it was cloudy out but little to no wind thank God. This campus is a different kind of peaceful when not everyone and their mother is rushing to class. I felt calm and peaceful for once, not worrying if I forgot about an exam or slept through a class.