By Holly Einess
It feels like spring has finally arrived on this mild blue-sky day at the Arboretum. A Canada goose pair is strolling along the edge of the Iris Garden pond, perhaps scoping out a nest site. A flock of dark-eyed juncos calls noisily to one another. They will soon be heading north to nest. Some local birders claim that juncos stick around until the final snowfall of the year, then promptly leave town; if that’s true, we may have one last taste of winter still to come!
A few spring ephemerals are beginning to emerge in the Dayton Wildflower Garden. Snow trillium is the earliest to bloom of Minnesota’s four trillium species (snow, nodding, drooping, and large-flowered; all have three petals and three leaves). Another early bloomer is sharp-lobed hepatica, whose flowers range from pink to white to lavender, and whose stalks are covered in fine hairs.
Beside Green Heron Trail a garter snake slithers through the dry leaves. The garter (not garden!) snake is the most common of Minnesota’s 17 snake species, and like all but two, is non-venomous. (The two venomous snakes — the timber rattlesnake and the massasauga — are found only in the southeastern part of the state and are rarely encountered.)
Fun fact: Snakes don’t have eyelids! This means they can’t blink, and they sleep with their eyes open. Instead of eyelids they have a transparent scale called a brille (German for “glasses”). These scales protect the eyes and keep them moist and are shed regularly along with the rest of the snake’s skin. Garter snakes’ pupils are round, whereas our two venomous snakes have cat’s eye, or elliptical, pupils.
Check out the DNR’s “Snakes and Lizards of Minnesota” guide to learn more about the garter snake and all of our state’s native snakes and lizards.
Four painted turtles bask in the sun beside the Green Heron Trail bridge. They spent the winter in brumation (the reptile version of hibernation) at the bottom of the pond and seem to relish today’s warmth.
A lone chorus frog calls near the boardwalk, sounding like a thumb being dragged along the teeth of a comb. Soon another joins, and then another. Their calls are slow right now, but will speed up as the water warms.
Pitcher plants have begun to appear in the wetland. The leaves of this carnivorous plant form funnels that trap rainwater and unsuspecting insects. Enzymes secreted into the water digest the insects and provide nutrients to the plant.
Chipmunks are officially up and about after spending the winter in a light hibernation. They wake every few weeks throughout the winter to eat food they’ve stored, then emerge from underground in March and April to begin mating.
Small clusters of Siberian squill can be found throughout the Arboretum grounds. This plant is non-native and invasive, a garden escapee that is difficult to eradicate. Too bad, as it really is pretty!
Though not yet listed as invasive by the Minnesota Noxious Weed Committee, squill should not be planted in natural areas or in home gardens. Arboretum staff and volunteers are working to remove squills in areas where it could impact native plants. In other, contained garden settings, they are not being controlled at this time.
The Arboretum is coming to life; visit often in the upcoming weeks to watch spring unfold!
Holly Einess is a Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer. More information about the program is available at www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org.