Health & Fitness
Minnetonka Naturally
Minnetonka Nature Notes– what lives here? Birds, mammals, insects, plants, etc. with personal experiences and ongoing species and counts.
Hi - I've never blogged before, so forgive me for any errors!
I've decided to start a blog on birds, other animals and plants in Minnetonka. My son, Ben, will be doing a lot of the bird "stuff," as he performs bird research around the country. However, I have been a bird banding volunteer at Three Rivers Park District at Carver Park Reserve in Victoria for around 26 years, which gives me a lot of experience as well, but Ben is the Bird Guru!
I have a deep love and respect for the natural world - yes, even insects, as long as they're not on me! We have learned to live with whatever visits our yard and have had many experiences with the birds, animals, and plants in our yard. We live at the end of a cul-de-sac (yes, I know - how suburban!) north of Hwys. 101 and 7 in a house we built in 1984.
Find out what's happening in Minnetonkafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We are very near a wetland (you know, those bodies of water formerly known as "swamps?") and have a very wooded yard with lots of gardens. We have native wildflowers, annuals, perennials, and veggies - this year, LOTS of veggies, including the Cucumbers That Ate Minnetonka.
I grew up in So. Minneapolis, graduated from Roosevelt High and the U of MN, and also have a couple of exciting insurance designations. In my "have to" life, I sell and service insurance for business, so if you have a business, let me know! I've been married for 38 years to the same man, have a son (the previously mentioned Ben) and a daughter, Laura. We have 3 cats, which is odd for me, since I grew up with dogs, but I now love cats, too. Their names are Leo, Harley, and Hazel. Leo is around 18 years old, but still kickin'.
Find out what's happening in Minnetonkafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I grew up in So. Mpls. loving nature, having lived between Lake Nokomis and Mother's Lake not far from the (noisy) airport, and would go through our neighbor's window wells to collect the toads, frogs, salamanders, and snakes that found their way there and couldn't get out. I'd take them home for awhile, then release. I fed the birds bread crumbs (which we now know is not the best food for birds), gardened with my mothers, and generally enjoyed being outside and being a tomboy.
I don't know how often I will write, but I do have a lot of incidents and experiences to relate, so stay tuned. The next blog you see here may be from Ben.
