Mosquito control - another Minnesota sign of Spring!

Another sign of spring in Minnesota is when the helicopter comes to the wetlands outside my classroom window. According to the local Fox News:

"The helicopters aren't spraying chemicals, but broadcasting a material much like lawn fertilizer. Granules are dropped in sites where mosquitoes are present, then the mosquitoes eat the bacteria, killing the larvae that are in those wetlands." So that's the scientific explanation.

Painted Turtle On The Move

A painted turtle had come out of the pond behind Bedman's and was on it's way toward the lake. I only messed with it a little bit. They hiss, did you know that?

It had an injured carapace, but it didn't look recent.

The ice is out, let the fun begin!

The ice went out on Friday, April 2nd. A strong southwest wind and warm temps blew the ice sheet away, and a lot of it piled up on the sandbar at Pilgrim's Point. Already the neighbors started putting in their docks and boats. Our neighbors moved a pontoon lift along the shoreline almost 1/2 a mile. As we watched them go by, Tom said, with the past experience of a guy who's tried some ideas of his own, "There's only one good outcome, and a whole bunch of bad ones." Alex said, "That guy must know a lot more about engineering than I do." We watched them until they went around the point. Good use of a floating trampoline and some inner tubes. Click on the photo for a closer look.

Aaahhh! Spring Break!

We had the best weather on spring break! We took some nice bike rides, did yardwork, soaked up the sun.

Here are some little froggies calling in the pond behind Golden Lake Road off of Canterbury. The chorus frog's call sounds like a thumb on the teeth of a comb. They usually quiet down when you come near, but these guys were too excited about spring to notice.

If you want to learn more about the Boreal Chorus Frogs of Minnesota, here's the link.

http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62:boreal-chorus-frog-pseudacris-maculata&catid=41:minnesota-frogs-toads-and-treefrogs&Itemid=63