What’s Happening to the Entry Garden?

• The garden near the sign is undergoing a renovation. Next year we will be getting a new sign, and with it a redesigned garden.

• Volunteers are helping us transplant what was there into the pollinator strip along the entry road.

Planning a future filled with MonarchsSenator Amy Klobuchar and US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe spoke at an event on August 20, as well as Karen Oberhauser of the Monarch Lab at the University of Minnesota . A broad coalition of concerned conservationists were in attendence, including our park’s superintendent John Anfinson. Monarch butterflies were tagged and released outside of the Fish and Wildlife building. One landed on my sleeve and stayed put for a while, so I got a photo.

Next summer at Coldwater Spring there will be opportunities to get involved with citizen science by taking part in a monarch larva and habitat monitoring project. Stay tuned!

Boxed and ready to goColdwater monarchs update: 4 successfully released as

of 8/24/2015. Another 2 will be released today.

Newly hatched butterflies! Released on blazing-stars

Milkweed Tussock Caterpillars (Euchaetes egle)I was out searching for signs of monarch caterpillars on the milkweed in the Coldwater Spring prairie when I discovered these strange furry black and orange caterpillars. Unlike monarchs, these cluster together in groups to feed. There were 4 or 5 fuzzy-headed caterpillars gnawing away at one milkweed leaf! On the same plant I saw this healthy-looking 5th instar monarch caterpillar.

Late Summer Compost DumpSince the spring, we had accumulated quite a few bags of weeds. The weeds were baking in the sun all summer in black plastic bags to eliminate the possibility of propagation and to accelerate decomposition. We got to dump them on the compost pile last Friday and whew was it stinky! There were various critters hiding out under all those sacks, too. Neil found a very unhappy garter snake. We gave it a ride to a nicer home.