Why fall is prime time for bird watching in North Dakota
The autumnal equinox is on September 21 this year. Of course, when fall rolls around in North Dakota, the thoughts of birds migrating — particularly waterfowl — often come to mind.
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Jumping mice in North Dakota
“What was that?!” That was my first thought many years ago when, walking through some low prairie, something that I could only describe as a mouse-sized kangaroo took three big leaps out of the grass in front of me. I was to learn later that it was a jumping mouse!
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Flocks of red-winged blackbirds mark the transition to fall in North Dakota
One of the more conspicuous signs of late summer into fall are the large flocks of red-winged blackbirds wheeling around area marshes and croplands. If you haven’t noticed them yet, you should soon.
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Identifying curly dock in North Dakota’s landscape
I used to occasionally hear one of my college professors call out the names of some plants as he drove down the highway at 60 miles per hour. “That is a 60 mile-an-hour plant,” he would declare. One of those plants was curly dock, also known as curled dock, sour dock, or yellow dock.
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North America’s most endangered ecosystem
I recently ran across this item on the news feed: Here’s How to Experience North America’s Most Endangered (and Underrated) Ecosystem. That ecosystem was the North American prairie.
Hosted by Chuck Lura, a biology professor at Dakota College in Bottineau. Chuck has a broad knowledge of “Natural North Dakota” and loves sharing that knowledge with others. Since 2005, he has written a weekly column, “Naturalist at Large,” for the Lake Metigoshe Mirror. His columns also appear under “The Naturalist” in several other weekly newspapers across North Dakota.
Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Dakota College at Bottineau, and by the members of Prairie Public. Thanks to Sunny 101.9 in Bottineau for their recording services.
Hear Natural North Dakota on Prairie Public on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:35am CT.
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