Natural North Dakota

It won’t be long before you’ll get up one morning, look out the window, and exclaim: “Spring is finally here, the trees are starting to leaf-out.” Well, not so fast! They’re actually flowering. Leafing-out will come later.

There are some willow catkins popping out in Turtle Mountain. No doubt they are also out in other parts of the state. Willows are members of the Salicaceae or willow family. In addition to the willows the family also includes cottonwoods, aspen, and balsam poplar.

As we deal with the social distancing, uncertainty, and other aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am reminded of the need to somehow stay connected with nature. As some of you know, there is a growing body of evidence that spending time regularly out in nature is important for our mental health and overall well-being.

The spring equinox occurred a few weeks ago, and the calendar says it is spring. But I am not convinced yet. The calendar or spring equinox both tell us it’s spring, but I am not sure that it makes it official. It takes some observation of nature to make it official. Maybe it’s the first thunderstorm or ice-out on a local lake. For the botanically inclined, it may be the trees breaking bud, or when a particular plant comes into bloom. For many of us it is probably the return of some migratory

Bald Hill Dam. Have you ever wondered about the origin of that name? Bald Hill? I have been rereading portions of the book Joseph N. Nicollet on the Plains and Prairies, the expeditions of 1838-39 with journals, letters, and notes on the Dakota Indians translated from French and edited by Edmund and Martha Bray (1976). On their way to Devils lake from Fort Pierre during the summer of 1839 the Nicollet expedition traveled for a time along the Sheyenne River north of what is now Valley City.

There is an article about Antarctic diatoms in the March issue of Natural History magazine. I suspect that diatoms are not familiar to most people, but that doesn’t mean they are not important. And they are also an interesting group of organisms.

I have been doing some cross-country skiing in the Turtle Mountains this winter. And even up to as recently as a few weeks ago I would occasionally see a considerable amount of paper birch seeds blown onto the snowy surface. With the recent warmer conditions, the snow surface has become an icy crust. With a little help from the wind, I suspect these seeds could go for some good long rides to perhaps colonize suitable habitat in which to grow.

There is a big high hill in northeast McLean County about four miles west of Butte, North Dakota along highway 53. That is Dog Den Butte. I was recently reading the Geology of McLean County , North Dakota Geological Survey Bulletin 60 Part I, by John Bluemle from 1971. He notes that Dog Den Butte lies near the boundary between the Glaciated Plain to the north and the Missouri Coteau to the south.

I have observed some large shrubs or small trees this winter with masses of what looks like hard black poop on the branches. That growth is black knot of Prunus . It is a fungus, and as the name implies, grows on plants in the genus Prunus. I see this fungal growth mostly on chokecherry. That is no surprise because it is our most abundant and widely distributed Prunus.

With the big white blanket of snow covering the ground and the trees bare, except for the conifers, the landscape is lacking in color. But there are still a few fruits from last summer persisting on some plants. And the fruits I have been noticing most frequently in the Turtle Mountains are highbush cranberry.