Phenology in action: GES 3rd and 4th graders track nature’s weekly changes

Annabelle: Hi this is Annabelle, Collin and Mikey reporting from Great Expectations School in Grand Marais MN, on April 24th 2025. The weather has been warm and cold. It has been hard to know if we should wear rain pants or snow pants to recess, it changes every day. There is only a tiny bit of snow left in our backwoods. The ground is still frozen. It has rained multiple times this week. Depending on where you live, sometimes it rains and sometimes it snows. It is warmer closer to Lake Superior right now so we have less snow then farther away.

Collin: There have been lots of more birds seen around. We have gotten our first reports of SandHill cranes, robins, flickers, and red wing black birds this week. In the mornings birds can now be heard singing when we wake up. The seagulls downtown are starting to become very loud. More Geese and swans have also been reported. 

Mikey: The catkins on the Green Alder now had pollen last week and some staff and students are having allergies again. This week the pollen has been all blown away. One tree at Miss Emma’s house started to leaf out but all those leaves died after it got too cold, and the buds haven’t opened anymore. A wolf was seen at Miss Nikki’s house. The rabbits are still in a mix between white and brown. Edie’s dog got a hold of some rabbits in her back yard. Bald Eagles and deer have been reported daily to our Phenology board.