Week of June 29th - July 5th

We welcomed Prince of Peace Women's Retreat, Hormel Nature Center, Kathy Ready's Birding Group, and the Lund Family.

We hope that everyone had a HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

On Tuesday, the Prince of Peace Women's Retreat arrived on Tuesday afternoon for a Nature Hike and dinner before leaving.

The 11 & 12 year olds from the Hormel Nature Center in Austin also arrived on Tuesday. They went up on East Treetops and then left the next morning.

Kathy Ready and her guests came for a birding hike on Thursday morning. During the hike they saw Gray Catbirds, an Indigo Bunting, Turkey Vulture, Chipping Sparrow, American Redstart, along with many others.

The Lund Family also arrived on Thursday for a morning of South Treetops.

Phenology:

• Purple Coneflower is beginning to bloom.
• Milkweed is in bloom.
• Black-eyed Susan is blooming.
• Eastern Bluebirds are beginning to lay their 2nd clutch of eggs.

Thought for the Week:
"To be human is to open our eyes to the simple and extraordinary beauty that is all around us."
David Krieger

NATURE TRIVIA QUESTION:

Answer to Last Week's Question:
Tree Swallows fight for feathers in mid-air. No one knows exactly why, some think it is a form of play.

This Week's Question:
Besides the Indigo Bunting, what is another songbird that only appears blue because of the structure of the feathers?