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The Carletonian

The Carletonian

The Carletonian

Arb Notes: prairie roots run deep at McKnight Prairie

Samara Kroeger May 9, 2021

Rising out of the landscape like tiny islands in a vast sea of corn and soybeans, the hills of McKnight Prairie provide a refuge for rare native prairie plants.  This 33-acre plot of land located...

Ball of Garter Snakes

Arb Notes: Sneaky snake sex

Samara Kroeger April 18, 2021

Mating season is just around the corner for many animals that call the Arb home.  For our native garter snake population, mating is quite the sight… and smell.  Garter snakes, which are non-venomous,...

Hibernation: an appealing way to sleep the winter away

Samara Kroeger February 20, 2021

The freezing temperatures of the last few weeks would have just about anybody dreaming they could sleep through it and emerge in the spring.  Hibernation does seem like a pretty appealing option. Rodents...

Arb notes: warming climate incites hot debate

Samara Kroeger January 30, 2021

The consequences of rapidly accelerating climate change have put ecologists and conservationists in a moral and ecological pickle.  The debate over assisted migration - whether humans should intentionally...

Arb Notes: Second nature

Samara Kroeger October 30, 2020

Goldenrod on Carleton's prairie restorationsPhoto: Brittany Johnson '18 Walking through the Arboretum, it’s easy to get lulled into thinking the landscape has always looked more or less the same....

Mussel memory

Mussel memory

Samara Kroeger October 10, 2020

If you’ve ever wandered the murky banks of the Cannon River, you may have come across the shells of freshwater mussels. Now considered one of the most rapidly declining faunal groups, there are 297...

Arb Notes: The buzz about pussy willows

Arb Notes: The buzz about pussy willows

Samara Kroeger April 24, 2020

The pussy willow (Salix discolor) is a native shrub that is one of the first plants to flower in the spring. Because they start blooming in very early spring, pussy willows are a valuable source of pollen...

Clues to the origin of life found in the Arb

Samara Kroeger October 31, 2019

Did you know that the Arb is home to evidence of early microbial life? A large ancient stromatolite is visible along Spring Creek in the Upper Arb. Stromatolites are microbial reefs created by the activity...

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