Natural Connections

While splitting firewood, Naturalist Emily Stone found an entire civilization of carpenter ants. Well, maybe it was just a satellite nest with drones, queens, and workers. How were they planning to spend the winter inside a chunk of red elm? Find out more in this Natural Connections episode.

Clubmoss, prince’s pine, and ground pine are just three of many names applied to little evergreen plants in the family Lycopodiaceae. Besides looking like adorable, doll-sized Christmas trees, these plants have explosive spores that were used in the first flash photography, magic tricks, and more. They also have a special relationship with mycorrhizal fungi and the wood wide web. Take a hike with Naturalist Emily Stone to learn more!

Kris Millgate is an award-winning outdoor journalist who recently completed a “doozy of a road trip” following Chinook salmon from the ocean to Idaho and back. She’s also my friend. This week, I share a little bit of what I know about her adventures, plus the connections between salmon, dams, and Wisconsin. On December 7, 2021, I’m hosting a screening of her documentary film “Ocean to Idaho,” where copies of her book, “My Place Among Fish” will be available for purchase.

Have you been seeing swarms of delicate, mosquito-like insects around your house? Happily, instead of being a terrible species of cold hardy bloodsuckers, these are fungus gnats. Fungus gnats are tiny flies whose larvae eat mushrooms. They often appear abundantly in the fall. If you can catch one without crushing it too much, spines on their knees offer assistance with identification. Curious? Naturalist Emily Stone will share what little is known about these autumn visitors.

Does November make you feel gray? Naturalist Emily Stone makes a point of getting outside even on chilly mornings in order to notice changes in the woods and get a better night’s sleep. Autumn leaves change in color and shape while keeping their beauty. Animal tracks are pressed into soft mud. And her trail camera captures buck deer, turkeys, grouse, a blue jay, and one curious fox. How do you keep the November doldrums at bay?

Does November make you feel gray? Naturalist Emily Stone makes a point of getting outside even on chilly mornings in order to notice changes in the woods and get a better night’s sleep. Autumn leaves change in color and shape while keeping their beauty. Animal tracks are pressed into soft mud. And her trail camera captures buck deer, turkeys, grouse, a blue jay, and one curious fox. How do you keep the November doldrums at bay?

Did any little bees buzz up to your porch last weekend on Halloween, looking for a sugary snack? How did you treat them? Did you smile and coo at their costumes? Wiggle your gnarled hands at them menacingly? Or did you pounce from the shadows, grab them with your strong front legs, and use your sharp beak to inject poison and then suck up their liquefied body tissues?

Not that last one? Well, you must not be a Jagged Ambush Bug. These True Bugs have several cool adaptations that make them a great addition to your pollinator garden.

Nature is transitioning into winter at this time of the All Hallows’ Eve. As plants and insects succumb to the frost, Naturalist Emily Stone contemplates the cyclical nature of life. From her perspective as a naturalist, and with wisdom from poet Mary Oliver, our veins course with stardust; our muscles are built from venison; our lungs converse with maples trees; our bones swirl through the mud with herons. With every breath, with every bite, we are intimately connected with all the atoms on Earth. Even in death, we can find connections and joyful reciprocity.

Taking a walk at night with a UV flashlight is just as good as going to a haunted house. In this week’s episode of Natural Connections, Naturalist Emily Stone discovers spooky fungi, including edible abortive entoloma mushrooms, blood-red moss, and a gracefully creepy millipede. Get inspired to go out on your own dark forest night hike!

Fall is a beautiful time to be in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. Naturalist Emily Stone recently went on a canoe trip there and witnessed a merlin chasing songbirds, as well as autumn meadowhawk dragonflies mating. These seasonal events are some of the last flights of fall. Learn more about their behavior, ecology, and adaptations in this week’s Natural Connections Podcast!