Family portrait comes to life on water. “I absolutely love nature and being outside on this water,” Cindy Perone says. “This little family swam...
nature
A Master Gardener’s Tips for Bee Lawns
Get tips for cultivating a naturally impactful lawn. Raise your green thumbs if you’ve heard or read about bee lawns. We were curious about the...
Painter Annalisa Sawtell Turns the Ordinary Extraordinary
Excelsior artist finds inspiration in the beauty that surrounds her. It’s the flowers waving in the meadow, the emerging spring blooms and the...
Oriole Near the Minnehaha Spillway on Grays Bay
Home construction is brought to new heights. “I was watching the orioles searching for nesting materials and noticed one particular area of interest...
Bonnie Bohn Hector Creates Mandalas From Natural Finds
While much of the world was becoming physically and emotionally stagnant during the early days of COVID-19, her creativity was flowing. Then and...
“The Gift of Green Time” Reconnects Families With Nature
Guide highlights ways to help families discover the magic of the Lake Minnetonka area. Looking for a way to become closer with your family and the...
EcoElsa Blog Inspires Natural Connections
Elsa Litecky inspires the next generation of naturalists. Elsa Litecky has enjoyed the beauty of the natural world since she could start climbing...
Minnehaha Creek Warbler
Romance in the wild sings its own sweet song. Whenever we’re given the chance to observe the natural goings on of wildlife in our midst, it’s an...
Find Your Path in Nature
Winter activities at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has a lot to offer, even in winter. The area’s 1,200 acres...
The Arboretum Sparkles And Shines This Season
Rather than going dark and dormant for the season, the gardens at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum come alive every year with thousands of lights...
Forest Bathing
"Our affinity naturally leans toward green." No, you’re not submerged in water, and yes, you keep your clothes on. Forest bathing or shinrin-yoku...
This Home is a Lucky Place to Be
March often finds Minnesotans fleeing their homes to somewhere warmer. But this is precisely the time when many non-human Minnesotans are making the...
How Do Animals Stay Warm in Winter?
The few animals that stay in Minnesota and above ground in the winter all utilize tried-and-true elements to stay warm. As the season of cold starts...
Witness One of Nature’s Most Astonishing Transformations
Splendor awaits when we bear witness to nature. In July, milkweed plants, with their rubbery leaves and unassuming sprays of flowers, offer a...
The Astonishing Beauty of Puddles in Spring
As winter gives way to spring, the season of physics begins. I call this the season of physics. Most living residents of the woods have retreated to...
Photographer Weaves Together Art and Environmentalism at Cedar Creek
At Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, Frank Meuschke combines science with art. Artist Frank Meuschke has lived all over the country—from New...
The Life of the Lichen
In February, precious little seems to be growing in the woods. Except lichen. In February, precious little seems to be growing in the woods. Except...
Want Fresh Fruit in Winter? Try Crab Apple Trees
Eating winter’s underappreciated abundance. In January, winter sets in, typically with the coldest days of the year. Local fresh fruit seems a...
Meet the Mysterious Cousin of the Minnesota State Flower
Columnist Anne Marie Ruff Grewal ruminates on another woodland orchid. The Minnesota state flower, the lady’s slipper, is an orchid. But woodland...
Summer is the Season for Mushroom Foraging in Minnesota
Summer mushrooms are a delicious delight. August is a month of mushroom magic in Minnesota. Mushroom “roots,” known as mycelium, do their work...
