September 20, 2024

Deer encounter

Shortly after I posted the last update in late July, Becky and I were walking toward the bridge to the camping area across the creek and we saw this doe and her two fawns.  They seemed unconcerned but curious about us as we watched and took pictures. Notice the fawns had not lost their spots yet.

On this same walk we were not far from airplane hill in an area that had had the orange day lilies a week or so before and now the tiger or Michigan lilies were in full bloom.  It was cool to see two hummingbirds getting nectar from the lilies.

Rare and unusual flowers at Fort Ridgely

Two very unusual, very different and rare flowers are presently in bloom at Fort Ridgely. They are downy gentians and ghost pipes.  A few years ago, before I found downy gentians at Fort Ridgely, I found bottle gentians at the wildlife management area near Gibbon.  I had never seen them before and was very interested in learning about them.  Bottle gentians have to be pollinated by larger bumblebees.  They are the only bees strong enough to 'Open the bottle' and get inside to get to the pollen and nectar inside the bottle.  I was lucky enough to see this happen again this year and here is a link to a video I took of a bee doing this: IMG 2436 (youtube.com) 

Ghost pipes started to emerge about a month age.  We have seen them for a number of years along the trail that rises on the north side of the old bathrooms across the bridge from the camping area. This year we found them in many new places, mainly in that area of the park.  We had had a lot of rain before this and this flower, which is dependent on fungi in the soil, usually comes when fungi are emerging as mushrooms (fruit of fungi).  Some mushrooms have a particular time of year when they emerge like many of the wildflowers in the park.  Others just emerge when there is lots of rain and the soil, fallen branches or trees etc. are damp.  There were many mushrooms around the area where the ghost pipes emerged.

Ghost pipes are mycophilic, not like most plants which are photophilic.  As a retired science teacher, I like to bring in some science and teach my readers something.  Photophilic means they need or are attracted to light. Plants need light for energy and photosynthesis of food and nutrients.  The green and other colors of plants absorb this light that they need, It is the purpose of the chemical chlorophyll to absorb the light.  Ghost pipes have no chlorophyll and do not need light to live.  They can be found in the most shaded parts of the forest.  They get their energy from fungi that are in the soil below them.  Myco is a prefix for fungi so ghost pipes need and are attracted to fungi (mycophilic).  I assume there were so many ghost pipes in the park this year is due to increased health of the fungi after all the rain this summer,

Bluebirds in the Park

Two members of the Bluebird Recovery Program of Minnesota , Nancy and Steve Engel, came down from the Twin Cities to give us advice on the bluebird houses in the park. We went around and took a look at the condition of most of the 20+ houses that exist.  They recommended putting them in mown grass areas within 50 feet of a tree that fledged birds can fly to when they are sent from the nest.   We also looked at the Mayflower golf course and put up two bluebird houses that I had purchased in the community garden in Fairfax. Thanks Nancy and Steve for your help and advice!

Here is an email that Nancy sent to Joanne and me:

Hi Joanne,

I recently met with Bix Baker & one of the staff (I believe it was Jason--he was awesome, by the way!) to look at the existing bluebird houses/trails at the park & create a plan for improving them. (I'm with the Bluebird Recovery Program of MN & Bix reached out to our group to do this).

Here are my recommendations:

REMOVAL OF EXISTING BOXES

All the existing boxes & mounting poles need to be removed since they are all in bad locations and are old designs. Jason suggested that the retired veteran who's working at the park until October could tackle this project. I don't want any of this material so you can trash or reuse elsewhere.

INSTALLATION OF NEW BOXES

Bix has applied to our organization for some free boxes (complete with rebar, mounting poles & nesting boxes) which I will then install in proper locations next spring. The area next to the horse trailer parking is an ideal spot to install these new boxes. Another possible location is the private cemetery which would require permission from that organization (Bix will ask them). We would also like to install a couple at the chalet area. 

Being close to short grass is exactly what bluebirds need for their food sourcing, but we will not install them in mowed areas. We'll put them about 5 feet into the prairie areas so they're out of the way of the mowers but close enough to the short grass so they can easily find food. 

MONITORING OF NEW BOXES

Bix and Becky are going to do the monitoring of all the new boxes. This entails weekly monitoring & cleaning of the boxes in early spring, during the summer and in the fall. They'll report to me if they need help with repairs. Your staff won't have to do any of this work.  

I really appreciate the staff support of the bluebird trails at the park! I look forward to helping in any way that I can to sustain this effort.

Warm Regards,

Nancy Engel

Interpretive Programs at the Park

Archery in the Parks! - Saturday September 21, 2024  

Ready, aim, fire! Join a certified archery instructor at the state park for a free hands-on lesson in the ancient sport of archery. Aim for a family adventure with kid-friendly equipment designed for beginners aged 8 and older. Children aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult. All equipment is provided. Personal archery equipment is not allowed.

Two sessions will be offered:

Session 1: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Session 2: 2 - 3:30 p.m.

Participants will be outside for the program. Bring along water, sunscreen, and bug spray if preferred. The program is canceled if raining.

Community Seed Collection Event - Sunday October 6, 2024  11 am - 12:30 pm

Join the State Park for our annual wildflower and grasses seed collection event where you will collect, sort, and clean seeds used throughout the state to restore native plants!

This is a family-friendly event, and all ages are welcome to join. Vehicles transporting participants for seed gathering are eligible for a free daily parking pass if they RSVP before the event at Kelsey.m.moe@state.mn.us. All other vehicles will need a valid Minnesota State Park Vehicle Permit that can be purchased online or at the park office.

To join, please meet at the Upper Picnic Area at 11 a.m.

Fall Colors Hike  - Sunday October 13, 2024  11 am - 12:30 pm

Minnesota is one of the many states that experience all four seasons of the year. Join a park naturalist on a hike through the park to view nature's reds, oranges, yellows, and other autumnal colors and take some pictures along the way.

The hike is about 1.5 miles long on gravel/dirt trails. It is recommended to wear comfortable and sturdy shoes and to dress appropriately for the weather.

Children under the age of 15 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

To join, meet at the Group Camp Parking Lot at 11 a.m.