Minnesota wildlife

'Land conservation key to bringing back Minnesota bird population'

by sue rich

update

October 8, 2019

We didn't pay MPR to write that headline, but it's exactly the message we want people to understand. >>

Candid camera at Spring Lake Islands

by Ellie Rogers

update

September 20, 2019

We've trained a wildlife camera's eye on our turtle nest protection area in the Spring Lake Islands Wildlife Management Area near Rosemount. The camera's shots will help us find out if the nest enclosure is working to protect hatchlings. But as we dig through our footage, we're turning up some fun shots of more than just turtles. >>

The rusty patched bumblebee: What’s all the buzz about?

by Karen Schik

update

September 9, 2019

A lone male rusty patched bumblebee found in August at an FMR-restored savanna represents 0.2 percent of the known population worldwide. Necessary not only for native wildflower reproduction, but also for creating seeds and fruits that feed wildlife as diverse as songbirds and bears, our state bee could use your help. >>

It's monarch migration season!

by Ellie Rogers

update

September 6, 2019

Fall brings chances to spot monarch roosts — dozens of butterflies gathering together on their migration south. FMR ecologist Karen Schik found hundreds earlier this week and sent these videos back from a visit to our prairie restoration at Pine Bend Bluffs in Inver Grove Heights. >>

Meet the loggerhead shrike, the rare butcher bird of FMR-restored prairies

by sue rich

update

August 29, 2019

This small, striking songbird is a fearsome prairie predator. Sadly, it's considered endangered in Minnesota. Read more

A loggerhead shrike perched on the tip of a bare branch, with a grassy field in the background.

Ecological restoration: A practice in patience

by Alex Roth

update

August 18, 2019

In the world of ecological restoration, changes don't happen overnight. And sometimes, to create a thriving and diverse habitat for wildlife and for water quality, things get a little messier (or even uglier) before they get better. Read more

Fisher spotted at FMR restoration site

by Karen Schik

update

April 21, 2019

One member of the weasel family, the fisher, is more commonly a denizen of Minnesota's north woods than our metro woodlands. Finding a fisher recently at Spring Lake Park Reserve in Dakota County was a rare treat. >>