spring – East Metro Water

A walk in the woods

By: angiehongmn April 17, 2026April 14, 2026

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, spring, spring ephemerals, Wetlands, wildflowers, woodsLeave a Comment

At first, the leaves were brown, and the sky was grey, and the air was cold, and I was sad that day.

And then, there was a flower.

Lazy gardener’s guide to spring

By: angiehongmn April 10, 2026April 8, 2026

Yards and Landscapingfeatured, gardening, lawn care, springLeave a Comment

If I could give you one word of advice to guide your yard care activities during the month of April, it would be “wait.”

These are a few of my favorite things

By: angiehongmn March 11, 2026March 12, 2026

Yards and Landscapingfeatured, gardening, landscaping, native plants, spring, treesLeave a Comment

If spring naturally has you dreaming of flowers and gardens, I’d like to encourage you to enhance your vision a bit this year to include native flowers, shrubs, and trees that can help to provide habitat for birds and wildlife and protect our water resources. March is the perfect time to begin planning, and there are numerous resources available to help you get started.

Froggy Figaro

By: angiehongmn April 25, 2025April 24, 2025

Aquatic Biology, Wildlifefeatured, frogs, native plants, nature, spring, WetlandsLeave a Comment

Minnesota is home to 14 species of frogs and toads. During the spring, their chorus rings out as the males search for females and compete to present themselves as the most attractive option with whom to settle down and make a few thousand babies. Because each species has a distinctly different call, you can determine which types of frogs live in your area simply by listening to their symphony.

Darks skies, birds fly

By: angiehongmn March 14, 2025March 13, 2025

Wildlifebirds, featured, lights out, migration, springLeave a Comment

Currently, an estimated 41,100 birds are crossing Minnesota every night and this number will climb to 18 million by mid-May.

One important and easy action you can take to protect birds during their spring and fall migration is to turn out the lights.

Rainy days and velvet moss

By: angiehongmn May 2, 2024May 1, 2024

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, hiking, rain, springLeave a Comment

Much like the Danish word hygge can be used to describe the cozy and comfortable feeling you get when sitting indoors beside a fire on a cold winter day, it turns out that there is also a word – pluviophile – to describe a person who enjoys rain and is fascinated with the sights, sounds, and smell of rain falling on the earth.

A flower’s fleeting charm

By: angiehongmn April 8, 2021

Outdoor AdventuresEarth Day, featured, native plants, spring, spring ephemerals, spring wildflowers, woodland wildflowers1 Comment

Of all the flowers that exist, spring ephemerals are the ones that I hold dearest in my heart.

Hopping into spring…again

By: angiehongmn April 18, 2019April 13, 2019

Wildlife, Yards and Landscapingfeatured, frogs and toads, gardening, landscaping workshops, spring, WetlandsLeave a Comment

Explore a local wetland or attend a Wonderful Wetlands workshop in Hugo, Oakdale or Lake Elmo The snow is melting again, which means that spring is just around the corner…again. Last weekend, I bundled up to walk the dog through 9-inches of fresh, fallen snow and paused with surprise when I encountered warm-ish air and…

Gray Skies Got You Down? Turn up the Volume.

By: angiehongmn May 1, 2017

Wildlifebirds, Habitat, migration, Mississippi River, spring, St. Croix RiverLeave a Comment

The Mississippi River is a flyway for 60% of all the birds in North America and 320 species of birds migrate through the St. Croix River Valley.

Ode to Odonata

By: angiehongmn April 26, 2016

Wildlifeaquatic life, dragonflies, springLeave a Comment

Most people consider dragonflies and damselflies to be terrestrial flying insects, but in fact, they often spend more than half of their lives in the water.