Natural North Dakota

Are you familiar with mima mounds? They are low circular mounds of soil on some landscapes in Oregon, Idaho, and other areas of the United States, mostly west of the Mississippi River. Mima mounds, or something very similar, have been observed in Rolette County. They are mentioned as “freckled areas” in North Dakota Geological Survey Bulletin 58, Geology of Rolette County, written by Dwight Deal (1971).

These warm summer nights are good times to get out and do some star gazing and perhaps learn some new constellations. We are heading toward a new moon on…

I have heard about someone getting quite excited recently about seeing a scarlet tanager in Turtle Mountain. Scarlet tanagers, as the name implies are…

Summer will officially arrive this Sunday. The summer solstice will occur on Sunday, June 20, at 10:32pm CT. The summer solstice, of course, is when the…

We have had a red-bellied woodpecker in the neighborhood. It is hard to say how long it will stick around, but I have managed a good look at it a couple…

I recently saw a few photographs of some impressive walleye taken from the Missouri River this spring in the vicinity of Bismarck. Walleye are undoubtedly…

We have some chipmunks around our yard that are providing us with some great entertainment. They have been busy scurrying around, often cleaning up…

Many of you probably heard the news about the wildfires in the badlands earlier this spring. Areas around Medora, the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt…

Perhaps like me you have heard those sounds from overhead during the spring and fall bird migrations and looked skyward to see what was causing it. But…

Every day is a great day for getting out and enjoying a little “Natural North Dakota.” But this time of the year is a real treat. The birds are active and…