Season Watch Newsletter: 9/2/22

This week, we learn about the night skies, whirligig beetles, and the continued onset of fall. Plus, information on how to detect and protect yourself from PFAs, a long-lasting, harmful set of chemicals infiltrating our environment.

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FEATURE: Understanding the impacts of "Forever Chemicals" in our water supply

This week, John and Heidi met with Sophie Greene, PFAs coordinator at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. PFAs are nearly indestructible chemicals that linger in our water systems and environment and pose health risks for humans. In this interview, you'll learn what PFAs are, where they come from, how they can impact your health, and what you can do to minimize your risk. Not a cheery subject, but an important one!

Check it out!

STUDENT AND LISTENER REPORTS

This week, we hear about constellations, native bees, and edible mushrooms. My mom writes in with a question about aquatic insects, and John sends me on a hunt for a peer-reviewed paper from 1980!

Listen Listen here!!

JOHN LATIMER'S WEEKLY REPORT

John takes a berry-sampling stroll, with mixed results (he's learned to avoid the ones that taste like earwax). Next, he gives us the weekly wildflower report: it's a great time to get out and identify asters!

Listen to John's report!

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More dates and locations will be announced.

9/24: Phenology in the Classroom. Long Lake Conservation Center, Palisade, MN. Register here.
10/1: Phenology in the Classroom. Minnesota Association of Environmental Educators conference, Finland, MN. Register here.

SARAH'S RECOMMENDATION

We've already sung the praises of the Merlin Bird ID app for identifying live birdsong: now, let me introduce you to Larkwire! This is the app I wish I had ten years ago: it teaches you birdsong in a convenient, customizable, and effective package. It's thanks to Larkwire that I can now distinguish a robin from a rose-breasted grosbeak (most of the time)! It will quiz you on subsets of birds according to call type and habitat, or you can select your own subset of species to learn. They recently added a visual ID learning program, but I haven't tried it yet- hopefully, it'll keep my newfound birding skills sharp over winter.

Bird, birder, birdest!

What are you seeing? Let me know!

Green heron (Butorides virescens). Anishinaabemowin: gihci-mooshkahosi.

If you're at a loss, simply admire a clubmoss!

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