Landscaping for Clean Water

08/09/2022

Calling all teachers interested in sharing the magic of the monarch migration with your students in the 2022-23 school year! Registration for the Symbolic Migration is open and looking for participants. MJV Partners, Journey North, UW-Madison Arboretum, and Monarchs Across Georgia will guide you through an exciting season complete with lesson plans on monarch biology and conservation, and connect your classroom with students near the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico! Learn more: https://buff.ly/3QtfUk6

08/01/2022

🦋🦋🦋

Ayesha Rascoe speaks with conservation biologist Karen Oberhauser about why the migratory monarch butterfly was just declared endangered, and what can be done in response.

07/29/2022

🎙🗣😊🎧🌱🌸🌞

July is almost over and that means grasslands month is coming to an end, but there’s no need for the prairie celebrations to stop! Every day is a good day to be passionate about prairie conservation. 🌾🌻

What better way to celebrate than to join in with our prairie lovers and listen to the Prairie Pod, our science-based podcast about prairie conservation, restoration/reconstruction, and management. Once, 18 million acres of prairie covered Minnesota. Today, we have right around 250,000 or only 2% left. This makes every day an opportunity to share your prairie passion so we can ensure this landscape perseveres through time for the people and wildlife who depend on it—that’s us! It’s always a good time to

🎧 Listen to the latest episodes of the Prairie Pod: mndnr.gov/prairiepod

07/28/2022

Don't fight Minnesota's weather! Planting native grasses & flowers takes far less time (also less fertilizer, water, & herbicide) to maintain, because these plants belong here. They are adapted to handle the heat & cold of Minnesota.

Get started today with Greening Solutions: https://loom.ly/8QokqH8

07/28/2022

As part of hosting , we want to hear your stories about how water impacts your life. is hosting a virtual Water Story Sharing event for adults on Aug. 3, 6-7:30 pm on Zoom. When you remember why water is important to you individually, it's easier to take action to protect it.

RSVP please: https://dakotacountylibrary.libcal.com/event/9167505

.soilandwater

07/22/2022

2022 Tree Essentials Workshops 🌳

Tree Essentials are a collection of educational workshops available to anyone that is interested. Whether you are a Tree Care Advisor, Master Gardener, Tree Inspector, or just a curious resident, you are welcome to attend. We cover an array of tree care topics and skills, with each date focusing on one specific topic. Tree Essentials workshops are taught by University of Minnesota faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students.

Pre-registration is limited to 25 people per session. Please only sign up for sessions you are committed to attending. Thank you!

If you are signing a group, each person in the group needs to be signed up separately (to ensure we don't exceed capacity limits.)

If an event is full, please email Sonja at [email protected] if you would like to be put on a waiting list.

Date: Select Fridays from July - September
🌳 July 29 - Edible Landscapes
🌳 August 5 - Tree Selection & Climate Change
🌳 August 12 - Tree Troubles (biotic and abiotic)
🌳 September 23 - Best Tree Planting Practices and Basic Maintenance
🌳 September 30 - Pruning Trees

What to bring: hat, water bottle, sunscreen, notebook, pen and comfy shoes

Cost: FREE for 2022!

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: University of Minnesota, UFOR Research Nursery, 1604 Fairview Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108
Parking: Please park at the Elm Research Plots

More location/parking info at: https://mntca.umn.edu/tree-care-advisor/tree-essentials Or copy and paste this wonderfully long link for exact coordinates: https://www.google.com/maps/place/44%C2%B059'20.5%22N+93%C2%B010'24.7%22W/@44.9890278,-93.1735278,791m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0xe80e6c0e099efd0a!7e2!8m2!3d44.9890284!4d-93.1735352

07/12/2022

Hey Burnsville residents! Got buckthorn, but don't know what to do with it? Check out this post by the City of Burnsville, Minnesota - Municipal Government to learn how you can partake in the Neighborhood Buckthorn Pick Up Program!

Buckthorn is a pain in the brush. We’re here to help you dispose of the invasive species once it has been cut through our Neighborhood Buckthorn Pick Up Program.
Talk to your neighbors about teaming up and apply at burnsvillemn.gov/1093

06/29/2022

Did you know wild parsnip is an invasive plant found in open fields and lawns across North America. Contact with this plant can cause skin to become photosensitive which can lead to blistering when exposed to sunlight.
https://playcleango.org/

06/29/2022

Did you know Minnesota’s state bee is the rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis? Look for the rusty patch!

This bee has rust-hued hairs on the front of the second abdominal segment, with yellow hairs on the sides and rear of the segment.

RPBBs are often confused with the relatively more common brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocolis). Brown-belted bumble bees have brown hairs on the front of the second abdominal segment, but black hairs on the sides and rear of the segment. mndnr.gov/pollinators 🐝🐜🌹🌺🌻🌼🌷

06/27/2022

Some food for thought if your trees are looking a little thirsty these days! 🌳

Do your trees need water? 🤔

If you live in the southern half of Minnesota, your trees likely need water. Don’t be fooled by loud storms that produce small amounts of rain – especially when it’s so hot! Trees planted with in the last 5 years should get the equivalent of 1 inch of rain each week. So, check the weekly rainfall totals in your area and then stretch out the hose!

• Use a soaker hose to cover the ground under the canopy of the tree until the top 6 inches of soil are damp.

• Trickle water from the hose, rotating the hose around the tree for 15 minutes on all 4 sides of the tree.

• Grab a 5-gallon bucket and very slowly dump a bucket over the tree roots – about 25 gallons over a day or two should do the trick. Just remember to do it every week!

ℹ️ Check out our quick & fun video on how to water trees at mndnr.gov/treecare/caring-pruning.html

06/25/2022

Hey homeowners: Here are some simple ways you can help out pollinators like bees and butterflies. Share these tips with your friends and family to get them buzzin' about pollinator-friendly practices! mndnr.gov/pollinators

06/20/2022

Happy Pollinator Week! 🐝🐛🦋

It's pollinator week! 🐝🌸So let's talk pollinator habitat, which is so important for our native pollinators. We're restoring native prairies in our parks, but you can help pollinators in your backyards by planting native pollinator plants. If you've got a green thumb, what are some of your favorite pollinator plants? 👩‍🌾

Come visit the Lebanon Hills Visitor Center's Big Backyard to see these Beardtongues in bloom.

📸 A blue sky with puffy clouds is the backdrop for a prairie in bloom, with pink and white flowers in the foreground.