During orienteering outing to Sand Dunes State Forest had the good fortune to see two sandhill cranes take off from a marsh accompanied by their characteristic trumpeting. The woods were still devoid of greenery, the grass yellow and dead. Some of the hardwoods had buds that looked like they were ready to explode. The sun packed a real punch even when the wind early in the morning sported a raw edge. I am feeling its effects in my neck. Tom spotted a good-sized snake, later identified as a fox snake (Elaphe vulpina), that hissed at him. Looks like Tom caught this snake at the very northern edge of its distribution in MN.
Another presence over wide swaths of Sand Dunes SF is prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum). My arms and legs can attest that it deserves its name. Fortunately, the fields of poison ivy were not yet in evidence, but the setter and vetter of the orienteering course said they saw plenty of berries on last year's growth. I seem to have made it through without any exposure.
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