Season Watch Newsletter: 7/21/2023

This week we have a health focus on waterborne pathogens, poisonous plants, and phenology promoting our ability to be present!

FEATURE: Who brought the bacteria to the lake party?

My crappy humor is really circling the drain on this one, friends: Dr. Trisha Robinson, the epidemiologist supervisor of waterborne diseases at the MN Department of Health, joined the morning show to talk about how aquatic pathogens enter our recreational water systems (and how to avoid them leaving with us after we go swimming). There's discussion about the inevitability of poop particles, where brain-eating amoebas lurk in our waterways, and why spitting water at your siblings is a bad idea. (Never fear: despite the potential for aquatic illnesses, Dr. Robinson still encourages us to go out and play in our local lakes and rivers.)

Listen in!

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STUDENT AND LISTENER CONTRIBUTIONS

Loons, woodpeckers, and honeybees are features of this week's reports. John starts things off with biting remarks about mosquitoes and a note about upcoming signs of fall.

Hear their voices!

JOHN LATIMER'S WEEKLY REPORT

John and my therapist are on the same page this week: apparently 'being mindful' and 'living in the moment' are good things for studying nature AND being a healthy and happy human. You know what's not good for that? Water hemlock.

Listen to John's report!

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SARAH'S RECOMMENDATION

I love watching Belted Kingfishers, and I've always been impressed by their ability to hover in midair like a hummingbird. I went looking for slow motion video of it this week, and it was well worth it! While their body is in frenzied motion to keep them in the air, their head is rock-steady as they visually lock onto prey.

Enjoy!

Season Watch Photo Feature: Dave Hart

Ghost plant (Monotropa uniflora). Hoçak: Xawįska.

Bonus fact: Ghost plants are relatives of blueberries, but are entirely parasitic. They lack chlorophyll and use fungal networks to 'sap' nutrients from nearby trees.

Don't gripe, go find a ghost pipe!

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Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.