12 kids

A half a dozen Grands from each of my brothers (They have more than this…one has 8 and one has 13)

They are a few months old (in the baby carrier) to age 14.

We went on an adventure to the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge.  They have a program called Wild Wednesday for children ages 3 to 7 but other ages of children are welcome.

The program was bugs and butterflies.   A volunteer read two stories about bugs and another gave a presentation on the life stages of the Monarch Butterfly, he had all the life stages in covered containers so the kids could see the progression.

Then we went on a walk and used nets to collect bugs…the kids were very impressed especially with the spiders.

After the bug walk the kids decorated butterflies and made masks.

The bigger kids had fun making masks.

Some kids just had fun putting cloths pins on their Grandfather’s hand.

It was a fun morning.

Senior National Park Passes

One of the last days in May we went over to Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge to purchase our Senior National Park Passes.  I got am email from Sonja one of my blog readers, she got her pass  at Tamarac. You have to be 62 or older and have proof of citzenship to purchase a Lifetime pass for $10.  The cost may be going up soon.  It has been on our list of “things to do.”

We watched this family of Canada Geese on the way.

Just outside the front door there was a Yellow Lady’s Slipper blooming in the flower bed.

They had the bird feeders up so I spent some time watching the birds whilst Far Guy visited with the lonely volunteer…we were the only ones there.

Two male Cowbirds and one female on the right.   The males were “talking” to each other …probably about that female.

One very friendly Red Squirrel posed for me in the bird seed feeder that is on the ground.  I am glad he is there as I would not want him in my yard.  Yes I have a bone to pick with the Red Squirrels…they raid birds nests and baby birds fall like rain to the ground and their death.  Probably too graphic…but it is the truth.

We had a great ride through the refuge enjoying the early signs of summer…and getting those passes.

Follow the flowers

Doncha wanna just say “Follow the Yellow Brick Road?”  I do.  On a side note those Ruby Slippers that were stolen up in Grand Rapids Minnesota a number of years ago have a $1 Million Dollar reward for their safe return along with the names of the thieves.

You can follow the yellow Bird’s Foot Trefoil or Lotus corniculatus (non native) most of the way to Tamarac Refuge Headquarters.   We also saw a Muskrat, a Badger and one lone baby Duck waddling across the road. 

There is a good supply of Common Milkweed or Asclepias syriaca (native).  I only saw two Monarch butterflies along the way.  Not many for the amount of Milkweed.  The Monarchs lay their larvae ( looks like little black turds) on the milkweed and they hatch in a few days, the caterpillar eats milkweed  and grows for about 2 weeks, eventually forming a chrysalis and then hatches into a brand new Monarch.  The sole purpose of any Monarch Butterfly is to mate and reproduce. ( Reminds me of some…never mind.)

Common Milkweed

My husband special ordered a Ambulance to paint for his train set…so we went the back way to Detroit Lakes.  On the return trip we went through Frazee and stopped by my Maternal Grandparents resting place and picked up the silk flowers that we left there before Memorial Day.

Not many flowers for all the grandkids they have.  I visited them many times over my lifetime. I had many good visits.  Someone is caring for a pot of geraniums there…I wonder who?   After I took my two bouquets there wasn’t much left.  Since I am the oldest…I am probably the only one retired…everyone else is too busy working.

Birds at the Refuge

Well there is more than just blooming Lady’s Slippers at the refuge.

Chance and I saw our first Trumpeter Swan Cygnets!!  I have always hoped to see some…Sunday was the day.

We rounded the bend and on this little pothole that I think is somehow joined with Tamarac Lake and hit the jack pot.

Trumpeter Swan and three cygnets.

Chance watched silently as I snapped photos.  I told him if you bark at the birds next time I will leave you home…so be a good boy…and he was.

There was a road kill deer near the headquarters and this Turkey Vulture was having a meal.  He flew into the tree…we told him to come back down and eat some more but he ignored us.

Then we spotted a family of Canada Geese, three adults possibly one is a yearling goose, they stick around to help care for the goslings.

They must be used to vehicles…as we watched them for quite some time.

It was a fun morning at the refuge… several times we stopped to just listen to the Red Winged Blackbirds.  We don’t have them back here in the Oaks so it is always a treat to hear them sing.

I know several of you thought it was strange that we didn’t meet one other vehicle…I was thankful we didn’t …some people drive way to fast and raise too much dust on the gravel roads…and they scare the wildlife.  We drove slowly to look for flowers and wildlife…and left nothing behind but our tracks in the gravel.

In search of Slippers

Chance and I took off early Sunday morning.  I ordered some blueberries off the fruit truck and they needed to be picked up at 8AM.  Far Guy loves blueberries…me not so much. 

On the way to the big town…in the middle of the road we saw; a Deer, a Turkey Vulture and a Snapping Turtle.  No photos because I was driving!

After the blueberry pickup my reward was being the captain of my own ship so I took off through Tamarac Wildlife Refuge in search of Lady’s Slippers.

The Yellow Lady’s Slippers are just about done.

An insect or animal ate away the front part of the slipper. SO…you can see the runway that starts at the top of the slipper and travels down…this must show up like neon lights to pollinating insects.

These are very small Yellow Lady’s Slippers. A different variety…I have only seen these on the Refuge.

The Minnesota State Flower The Showy Lady’s Slipper.  Cypripedium reginae.

Yes they are Orchids.  The Showy Lady’s Slippers will be in peak in about a week…Father’s Day right on target. Right now I saw about four clumps in bloom on the 18 mile stretch…but then I was driving…but slow and I stopped and got out of the vehicle to take photos.  I didn’t meet one car the entire 18 miles…it was a perfect morning! Chance hung his head out the window almost the entire drive. 

There are getting to be a few skeeters in the deep woods.  We did see some wildlife…more on that tomorrow.

The Refuge

We ran an errand..Okay we went to Menards in Detroit Lakes to buy a new folding table and a few solar lights… big shopping trip!  We came back through Tamarac Wildlife Refuge.

Hardly a creature was stirring. No birds…no deer.

There was a dog out on the ice with some fishermen on Pine Lake.

The Ottertail River is low.  Usually we can spot an Eagle or two here. Nada.  After we got home I heard that over fifty Bald Eagles were at Flat Lake…so we were close but no cigar.

Someone was working on a big tree…I wonder how long until it topples over?

Sunday was a lovely day for an outing.  It was 70 F or 21 C eh!  We drove slowly through the refuge with our windows down …it was a real treat.  That was our last warm day.  Monday our temperatures dropped by 40 degrees…much more seasonal for us.  It was nice while it lasted…it was just a taste of spring.  It gives the cooped up people hope that spring will come eventually.

 

Tamarac Wildlife Refuge

We went for a drive yesterday through Tamarac Wildlife Refuge.  It is not far from our home and if you aren’t in a hurry you can meander through it on the way to Detroit Lakes.  The road we travel is mostly gravel.

There are a few signs of spring there.

A pair of Mallard Ducks

Eagles soaring

Finally at this wetland we heard the Spring Peepers.  I know spring is here now, they have awakened from their muddy entombment….and they are real happy about it!

Trumpeter Swan, they have paired off now and will nest soon if they haven’t already.

I think this might be a Yellow Rumped Warbler of some sort. We sat watching them flit around at the edge of one of the ponds.  Chance watched too.  Interesting little bird but they don’t stay in one place very long so this was my lucky shot of the day.

We saw our first Loons of the year over at Tamarac Lake.

There is a pair … they were a long ways off…usually we see them before we hear them and should have heard them down on Straight Lake by now… perhaps they are down at the other end of the lake or the wind has been blowing like a banshee, so we have not heard them yet.

They must have done a prescribed burn recently around one of the wetlands on the refuge.  Usually we don’t see burned areas in the refuge.  We also noted that the North Country Trail System has a real nice hiking/cross country ski trail along Pine Lake now.  Far Guy said “One day we will give it a whirl.”

Our weather was about 50F or 10C eh.  It was a nice day!  Lows at night are about 35F or 1C eh.

Tamarac In Winter

We took a drive through the refuge yesterday.  Only the very east side had frost.

Not much was happening.  There were no birds and only a few deer tracks.  We always hope that we will see a wolf.  We admired all the sign posts that were newly painted last fall.

Snow and brown reeds.

At least down at Tamarac Lake there were some fishermen.

Day fishing is allowed in the refuge.  The shelters must come down at dark.  That little blue cube on the right is a portable fish house.

It was a nice day about 27 F.  Very nice weather for January. 

Chance enjoyed the outing, he loves our little adventures almost as much as we do

By the time we headed back home the sun came out and there were just a few frosty areas that had not melted in the warmth of the sunshine.

The moon was out.