Astronomy

Look for the bright planet Venus in the west after sunset. In the late evenings on Monday the 25th through Wednesday the 27th, look in the southern sky for the Andromedid meteor shower.

Birds

Before the early 1970s, there were no wild turkeys in Minnesota. From 1971 to 1973 the DNR participated in trapping 29 adult wild turkeys in Missouri, and relocated them to Houston County in southeastern Minnesota. The wild turkeys at Afton are descendants of those original 29 birds. Turkeys are active in the daytime (“diurnal”) so you may see them foraging on the prairies and meadows at Afton. Their tracks are easy to identify in the mud or snow. Males are called “Toms” and females are called “Hens”. They spend their time in flocks of around a dozen or so birds, and roost in trees at night. They may look a little ungainly, but don’t be deceived – turkeys can run for short distances at a speed of 30 miles per hour!

Minnesota and Wisconsin both have stable turkey populations, but turkey numbers are declining in states to the south of us, with fewer young turkeys surviving to breeding age. Habitat loss and heavy rainfall that chills and drowns young turkeys before they develop the ability to regulate their body temperature are thought to be the cause. To keep an eye on the turkey population, the Department of Natural Resources has a form on its website for reporting turkey sightings May through September. Please use it when you see turkeys next spring and help the DNR gather data so we can maintain a healthy turkey population in Minnesota.

Mammals

Most people don’t think twice about deer growing new antlers each fall then losing them in the winter. But re-growth of antlers by members of the deer family is the one and only instance of organ regeneration among mammals. This is a prime time to see bucks with full racks of antlers; after the first of the year you may come across dropped antlers or “sheds” out in the woods. Deer tracks are among the easiest tracks at Afton to identify – look for the heart-shaped prints in the mud or snow when you’re hiking.

Reptiles and amphibians

What do frogs and toads do in the winter? American toads are good diggers and burrow down below the frost line to sleep away the winter in a state of torpor, sometimes waking up enough to move up or down in order to stay just a bit below the frost line. If you were planting bulbs this fall you might have surprised a toad or two!

Frogs that spend most of their time on land are called “terrestrial frogs”. Terrestrial frogs, like the wood frog, are not good diggers. They look for cracks and spaces in rocks and logs and crawl in there for the winter. Frogs that spend most of their time in the water are called “aquatic frogs”. Aquatic frogs, like the leopard frog, don’t dig into the mud at the bottom of a pond but lie on top of the mud or only partially buried in it so they can continue to breathe. Frogs, unlike toads, actually freeze in the winter! How do they do that and survive? Frogs have high levels of glucose in their vital organs. The glucose acts as antifreeze and prevents ice from puncturing their cells. For a time their hearts actually stop beating! But they thaw out in the spring and come back to life. Pretty amazing!

Trees

White Oaks are one of the many species of oaks that live at Afton. Like all white oaks, the Swamp Whites have rounded lobes on their leaves. The end of the leaf splays out in a fan shape. White Oaks grow to up to 70 feet tall. The acorns are smooth and green, with the upper half covered by a knobby cap.

Evergreen or conifer trees have specialized leaves called needles, and grow cones that hold their seeds. The Red Pine is a conifer, and it’s also Minnesota’s official state tree. Red pines grow to between 40 and 80 feet tall and often live for 150 to 200 years! They have reddish-brown bark in flat scales, and have small egg-shaped cones that are two to three inches long. The cones may hang on the tree for several years. The needles of the Red Pine are in what are called “bundles” of two needles, and are four to six inches long and dark green.

Weather observations

Here are some weather observations from past years.

Friday, November 22	2020: light snow overnight that melts by noon, with temperature in the 40s; 2016: record rainfall of 0.74”; 2012: record high of 60°
Saturday, November 23	2013: single digits above zero in the morning
Sunday, November 24	2020: murky and drizzly through day, temperature in the low 30s; 2017: record high of 60°; 2001: record rainfall of 1.06”
Monday, November 25	2012: clouds, high in low 30s
Tuesday, November 26	2001: record snowfall of 5.9”
Wednesday, November 27	2019: record snowfall of 7.2”; 2014: high of 10°
Thursday, November 28	2015: 30s and sunny; 2020: 50s and sunny
Friday, November 29	2022: 5” snow; 2009: light snow overnight
Saturday, November 30	2016: high 30s with light rain; sunny, 29°
Sunday, December 1	2020: beautiful day in the low 50s; 2012: fog and low clouds through day
Monday, December 2	2021: mid-40s, partly sunny; 2013: alternating rain and snow through day
Tuesday, December 3	2023: fog in morning, murky throughout day, high in 30s; 2022: dusting of snow overnight, single digits in morning; 2012: high in the 50s
Wednesday, December 4	2023: ½” light snow in early evening; 2017: record high of 57°
Thursday, December 5	2023: high near 40°; 2021: light snow overnight; 2001: record high of 63°

Photo/Image credits

All photos copyright Nina Manzi, except:

• Stephen B. Antus Jr., MN Conservation Volunteer: Buck deer
• Bill Marchel, MN Conservation Volunteer: Deer antler shed, Deer track