Banded woolly bear
Seeing these fuzzy brown-and-black caterpillars crawling across sidewalks and pathways is a sure sign summer is coming to an end. They're looking for a safe place to hibernate, usually curled into a pile of dead leaves. A chemical in their bodies acts like antifreeze and allows them to survive until spring when they can eat, spin a cocoon and eventually emerge as a tiger moth.
Smooth blue aster
As yellow waves of goldenrod wane, Minnesota roadsides and meadows are turning light purple with smooth blue asters. These late bloomers play an essential role for pollinators, providing nectar for native bees and migrating monarchs. Look for clusters of these flowers at parks and along roads across the state, along with other varieties such as New England, sky blue, calico and blue wood aster in shades of light blue, lavender, rich purple and white.
Broad-winged hawks
Broad-winged hawks are funneling past Hawk Ridge on the bluffs above Duluth, with numbers usually peaking from Sept. 10-25. When winds are coming from the north or northwest, tens of thousands of broad-winged hawks might be spotted on a single day. Experienced volunteers can help identify the birds overhead, which can include merlins, peregrine falcons, Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks and northern harriers from mid- to late September.
Lisa Meyers McClintick of St. Cloud has freelanced for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2001 and volunteers as a Minnesota Master Naturalist.
What goes into a bird's name?
Woolly bear caterpillars are everywhere in Minnesota this week. What do they turn into?
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