March 26, 2024  SIgns of spring-Pasque flowers, snow trilliums, hepaticas and robins; A beaver in the park; Trumpeter swans and geese at pond near Fairfax; Upcoming programming- Wildflower walk and Dakota Uprising Films;  Snowy Walk on March 28 

February 5, 2024  Weird winter weather; Horse campground part of Fort Ridgely; Annual Candlelight Walk on January 27; Minneopa First Day;  Baker Cabo Adventure 

December 15, 2023  Bounding deer in the park; Liking the lichens; Eagles on road kill; Upcoming programming -  Candlelit Hike on January 24, 2024 

October 20, 2023 Fall Walk through nature - mushrooms and fall leaf colors;  Prairie flowers - blooming are New England asters, black-eyed Susan and dandelions; seeding are hyssop, snakeroot, milkweed, burdock, goldenrods, rosehips, blazing star; Upcoming interpretive programming;  Minneopa biology classes at Mankato West High School field trip days

September 15, 2023 Monarch tagging event and monarch roosting, Park improvement- sanitation building now open, MNDOT work in east part of park protecting highway 4 hill with rip rap; Upcoming interpretive programming

August 18, 2023  Prairie grasses- big blue stem, Indian grass, sideoats grama, bottlebrush grass;  Flowers of the prairie- yellow (cup plant, grey coneflower, sneezeweed. black eyed susan, cutleaf coneflower,  sunflower, Canadian goldenrod, stiff goldenron, showy goldenrod), white (snakeroot, tall boneset, false boneset,  culver's root, bur cucumber) blue (tall bellflower, vervain, lobelia,  anise hyssop, blazing star, ironweed, burdock, smartweed;  2 Programs in the next weeks; fawn at Flandreau

July 7, 2023  The emperor is in the park- hackberry emperor butterfly;  The dragons are here too - dragonflies and damselflies;  Milkweeds in the park- common butterfly, whorled and swamp; Fairfax Community Garden; New Area Naturalist- Kelsey Moe; 3 Programs in the next weeks

May 10, 2023  May flowers -  Pasque flowers, hepaticas, snow triliums, wild ginger, marsh marigolds, jack in the pulpit, Dutchman's breeches, false rue anemone;  Birds in the park- yellow-bellied sapsucker, red-headed and pilleated woodpeckers, hermit thrush, white-throated sparrow, osprey, red-tailed hawk;  Insects- Bumblebee queens, red admiral and sulfur butterflies

April 15, 2023 Cold Snowy Spring; DOT Work on east side of park by Highway 4; Upcoming Interpretive Programming; April wildlife-robins, grackles, Canadian and white-fronted geese, pelicans, trumpeter swans

February 22, 2023 Canoeing with the Cree; Successful Candlelight walk on February 4; Winter fun- snowmobiles and deer; Bathroom progress

January 13, 2023 Winter Wonderland; Candlelight walk; Frosty mornings

December 22, 2022 Winter Fun in the snow; Snowflake beauty; Bathroom construction update; Late afternoon hike

November 4, 2022 Fall Colors; Fall birds- robins, cedar waxwings, chickadees, downy woodpecker; Progress on bathroom

September 21, 2022  Friends of Fort Ridgely Meeting;  Monarch migration; Asters of fall - showy, stiff and Canadian goldenrod; field thistle, cut-leaved coneflower; blazing star; prairie sunflower; smooth blue aster; tall boneset; New England aster;  Trumpeter Swans in Fairfax pond; Progress on bathroom for campground;  Upcoming Interpretive Programming; Gentians recently blooming - showy and bottle

August 26, 2022 Misunderstood Insects at Fort Ridgely - Dragonflies, Damselflies and Wasps; Improvements at Fort Ridgely - Brush removal and start of construction of the new restrooms and shower building in the lower camping area; Upcoming Interpretive Programming

July 29, 2022 July wildflowers - Day and tiger lilies, sweet clover, purple and white prairie clover, vervain, anise hyssop, beebalm, purple coneflower, tall bellflower, compass plant, cup plant, false sunflower, grey coneflower;  Fireflies; Upcoming Interpretive Programming

July 1, 2022  Upcoming Interpretive Programming;  Butterflies- hackberry emperor, red-spotted admiral, monarch, hairstreaks, haploa, plume and sphinx moths; wildflowers- golden Alexander, prairie rose, breadroot, spiderwort, motherwort, false gromwell, beardtongue, larkspur, milkweeds, leadplant;  Itchy plants- poison ivy, nettles and cow parsnip

May 24, 2022  Staff activity- Prairie burning, tree trimming; May flowers - ramps, bloodroot & bees on them, Dutchman's breeches & bumblebee queens, false rue anemone, marsh marigold, jack in the pulpit, wild ginger, violets - blue, yellow, Canadian & prairie, nodding trillium, largeflower bellwort, blue phlox, red columbine, Ohio buckeye & pollinators;  Birds - eastern bluebird, scarlet tanager;  Upcoming Interpretive programming

April 15, 2022  Spring Wildflowers- Pasque flowers, hepaticas, snow trilliums;  Butterflies and Moths- eastern comma and very small white moth;  May 7 nature walks

April 2, 2022 Hiking and trail conditions, Spring birds, Interpretive Programs

February 11, 2022 Circle of Life, Wild Turkeys, Beavers at Flandreau and Fort Ridgely, Hikes Scheduled

January 24, 2022  Snowy activities, Two snowshoe hikes, Colorful skies, Amphitheater Article on Facebook, Advertising Candlelight Hike

December 20, 2021 Weird weather and snow tracks, winter birds- eagles, horned larks, barred owl

November 17, 2021 Hikes after small snows and frost, Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls, Jeffers Petroglyphs, Lichens

September 30, 2021 Indigo buntings, olive-sided flycatcher, giant robber fly, swallows hunting insects, rainfall adaptation and confusion, blazing star, pollinators, thistles, hyssop, downy gentians, wood sorrel,  asters, goats at Flandreau

August 11,2021 Prairie in bloom; Prairie flowers- swamp milkweed, whorled milkweed, monarch caterpillars, beebalm, anise hyssop; Small butterfly on poop; Prairie grasses- big bluestem, Canada wild rye, sideoats grama, Indian grass, switchgrass; Drought and recent rain; Lac Qui Parle Bioblitz

June 28, 2021  Hackberry emperor butterfly; amphitheater reconstruction;  milkweeds and pollinators- yellow shouldered drone fly, bee fly, summer azure, monarch, banded hairstreak, brown-belted bumblebee, sweat bee, two spotted bumblebee, crab spider; birds- dickcissel, scarlet tanager, tree swallow; Interpretive programs on July 10

May 30, 2021  Wildflowers- Virginia waterleaf, red columbine, showy orchis, bitter watercress, golden alexander, hoary puccoon, downy paintbrush, fleabane: Raspberries and bee diversity;  Other pollinators- monarch, American lady, meadow fritillary, tufted globetail fly;  Birds- yellow warbler, goldfinch, Lincoln's sparrow, catbird, redstart, rose breasted grosbeak, turkey vulture; Interpretive programs on June 12

May 14, 2021 Wildflowers- violets, false rue anemone, marsh marigold, largeflower bellwort, blue phlox, jack in the pulpit, false dandelion, blue eyed grass, hoary puccoon, trout lily, snow trillium, spring beauty, prairie smoke; prairie burn; Tree blossoms and seeds including Ohio buckeye, orioles and pollinators; Ticks

March 30, 2021 Walks in the woods after snowstorm, Spring changes after snow - moss, lichens, pasque flowers, birds,  Friends of Fort Ridgely reorganizing

March 5, 2021  Spring-like weather & Trails, Snow beauty and animals in snow, Eagles

January 25,2021 Deer at Fort Ridgely, Old Stone Tables, Grills and Buildings

January 7, 2021  Winter activities, New things at FR, Vining Plants,  Barred owl, web address

December 16, 2020   Sunset from lookout, Rime ice, Lifecycle of woods, Owl at Flandreau

November 24, 2020  New Bridges Completed, Prairie Sunset Walk & deer, Birds of winter including Shrike, Scavenger Hunt 

November 4, 2020   Sunset Walk with cardinal pair & Rough legged Hawks, Scavenger Hunt 

October 15, 2020   Mushrooms, Hawkwatch, Documentary link on Native Foodways

October 1, 2020   Fall Colors, Mutual Dependence through seasons, Gentians

September 12, 2020   Indian pipes, Busy Pollinators, Prairie Grasses

August 27, 2020   Wildflowers in Prairie, Bumblebees & Honeybees, Pollination Process

July 20, 2020   Unique Flowers, Clovers, Plants to avoid, Monarch raising

June 30, 2020   Warning on Berries, Edible Berries, Milkweeds and pollinators, Swans

June 15, 2020   Dragonflies, Butterflies & Moths, Protective Swan, Hummingbird

June 9, 2020    Animal Babies, Wildflowers & Bees, Bees and other pollinators

June 1, 2020   Visitors, Buckeye trees, Birds, Tree blossoming, Flowers