Sharp-shinned hawks and broad winged hawks have started their migration over Wolf Ridge! Several were documented near the observation deck behind the science center. A notable difference between the two is the flight behavior. A sharp-shinned hawk will flap much more than the broad winged hawk, who glides smoothly through the air.   These hawks […]

One of the many birds migrating back to Wolf Ridge this spring is the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). These birds that let out a loud, rattling call are primarily fish eaters, which means that their homes can be found near a body of water. A male Belted Kingfisher will obtain a territory that may include […]

Earlier this week, Maria and I were enjoying a steaming hot cup of cedar tea. Cedar tea is not only tasty, but nutritious!  The northern white cedar (thuja occidentalis) was called ‘arbor vitae’, or ‘tree of life’ in Latin by early European explorers because its high vitamin C content prevented diseases like scurvy. As we […]

On December 13th, 2016, as we traveled down the hill towards Highway 61 with Wolf Ridge resident citizen scientist, Peter Harris, we noticed strange cloud formations over Lake Superior. There was a great mass of “sea smoke” rising off of the waters of the lake and, from that, columns of the “smoke” rising to meet the clouds […]

On a hike for the Superior View Hike class, one may notice a large number of birch trees that all lean in the same direction. What caused these trees to do such a thing? We had the same question!   Upon consulting human encyclopedia and Wolf Ridge naturalist Peter Harris, we discovered that there was a […]

On a blustery winter walk on Wolf Ridge campus, naturalist Hannah Edstrom heard something rather unusual. Coming from a nearby tree, a flock of chickadees began emitting a loud “fee-bee” call. Not having heard that sound in the winter before, Hannah ran to Wolf Ridge’s resident bird expert Nathan Cross. When Hannah told Nathan about […]

The American Tamarack has some qualities that distinguish it from other members of the pine family. As with most pine family trees, they have a large area of cleared trunk due to the lower, mature limbs dying and dropping off. But unlike others such as the lodgepole pine, fir, and spruce, the tamarack’s roots grow […]

Observation challenge: can you find the beaver in this picture?? We’ve been looking carefully on Raven Lake (pictured) and Sawmill Creek to find beavers and beaver signs. We have found beavers, lodges and dams, trails and canals, and evidence of chewing throughout the summer and fall. But this past week, a new sign of beaver […]

Fondly known as “poop on a stick,” black knot fungus often grows on chokecherry trees around Wolf Ridge. A fungal disease, black knot fungus can prove fatal for many young trees. However, on the larger trees, it serves as nothing more than a pest for the branches it targets. This fungus overwinters on trees in […]

Watch a single leaf change color through time-lapse photography! As we observe the changing seasons at Wolf Ridge, one of the brightest signs of fall has been the changing leaves. When I first started closely observing the maple leaves changing color I had lots of questions- did they change from one side to the other? […]

We found a few leathery grape ferns near Shovel Point at Tettegouche State Park recently. If you look at the photo, you can see some immature lighter green spores and some mature browning spores.  It gets its unusual look from how it grows, divided into the sterile fronds (three leaflets), and the fertile part, which look like “grape bunches” of […]

It’s spring! And all around are signs of life. One tree which is as ubiquitous to the North Woods as the green grass that grows all around is beginning to show signs of new growth. The bright green on the end of spruce branches begin forming under brown papery scales like pine cones but rather […]