Lisa Meyers McClintick

3 weeks ago | startribune.com | Lisa Meyers McClintick

The showy lady's slipper may be Minnesota's state flower, but it's one that many residents have probably never seen in the wild. Soon, it will be time to keep a lookout. Protected by state law since 1925, the elusive orchids favor moist soil along riverbanks and shorelines, boggy areas and roadside ditches. That also makes them vulnerable to flooding and drainage, road expansions and development, herbicides and pollution, poaching by humans and consumption by deer.

4 weeks ago | startribune.com | Lisa Meyers McClintick

The arrival of 80-degree days has humans feeling like someone hit the fast-forward button to summer, and nature is noticing too, with plants bolting to bloom and some wildlife speeding up their schedule. "Turtles are very eager to get out as soon as they can to warm up, mate, make eggs and get to the nesting sites," said Angela Grill, wildlife supervisor for Three Rivers Park District.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Lisa Meyers McClintick

More than a dozen people stand, hushed, gazing at the trees along a wooded trail in Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. Suddenly, a song lilts from the upper branches. Someone whispers and points. Shoulders swivel. A scarlet tanager lands on a branch, and everyone scrambles to focus their telephoto camera lenses or binoculars on the vibrant red bird. A few minutes later, there's an indigo bunting, followed by a parade of warbler sightings.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Lisa Meyers McClintick

For dog owners in particular, there's a certain dread in discovering a nest of baby bunnies in the yard. Blind, hairless and helpless, few creatures seem as vulnerable. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota reported in mid-April that 481 bunnies had been brought in during a single week. Eastern cottontails are difficult mammals to rehab, though, and do best if left in place. If you attempt to move the nest, the mother is unlikely to find and recognize them.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Lisa Meyers McClintick

By Lisa Meyers McClintick Minnesota's spring ephemeral flowers come and go quickly. A sprinkling of white. Posies of purple. A carpet of pink. They have only a short time to soak up the full warmth and light of the sun before woodlands leaf out into a canopy of shade. Most don't rise more than six inches above the leaf litter, but they can leave an impression with their delicate details, colors and quantity, depending on the location.