What is your favorite telltale sign that spring has arrived? Is it the robins in the yard? The beautiful prairie crocuses popping up? Perhaps it is the sight and sound of geese flying overhead back to their northern summer home. North Dakotans in the central flyway may have already noticed the annual snow geese migration starting in March. There are many more birds that'll be flying over the state in the coming weeks - so be on the lookout! Here's what you need to know about the snow geese migration in North Dakota:
It's that time of year again! Snow geese, characterized by their bright white bodies and black-tipped wings, are flying over central North Dakota by the thousands.
North Dakota is right in their spring migration path, resulting in some spectacular sights every year. As soon as the ice starts to melt on the many ponds and lakes, you can expect to see them.
Single flocks of snow geese have been recorded to have millions of birds and be over a mile long. This photograph taken over North Dakota's Prairie Pothole region, the most popular region to see them, was of one such flock.
The snow geese migration of spring 2021 is expected to peak around the beginning of April. The wildlife refuges of central North Dakota are their common stopping grounds, so if you want to see them, head to one of those!
Wildlife refuges are essential places for the snow geese to rest during their long journey, and it helps that North Dakota has the most wildlife refuges than any other state in the country to preserve these places for them. Here are a few beautiful refuges and other parks in the state you can visit.
When it comes to u-pick farms in North Dakota, there are a few - but the one I'd like to show off today isn't technically in North Dakota. Located in Moorhead, Minnesota, a whopping five minutes from Fargo, is an incredible family farm open seasonally where you can pick your own buckets of berries, fruits, veggies, flowers, and more - just depends on the time of year. This Fargo-Moorhead treat is perfect for families, and it makes for an amazing day out; the twin cities have never been so much berry-pickin fun!
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Welcome to the Farm in the Dell, an amazing seasonal family farm that makes for an idyllic afternoon out, be it with the kids, solo, or even on a date!
U-pick produce is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to check in early in the season for the best results. Wear good shoes, and consider applying sunblock (or wearing a big hat).
Of course, strawberries aren't the only produce you can score at the Farm in the Dell.
From tomatoes and herbs to all sorts of other veggie delights, there are few places you'll find fresher produce. I mean, obviously... you're picking it straight from the source.
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It's a seasonal delight: in the late spring and summer, you've got boundless buckets of berries.
This amazing place is a little slice o' paradise, and I can't get enough of it. I suspect you'll feel the same way.
For more information about u-pick and other goings-on at Farm in the Dell, including the most up-to-date u-pick hours and days, be sure to visit the official Farm in the Dell website. Need a place to stay while you're in Fargo-Moorhead? Check out all the awesomely unique offerings from our friends at VRBO.
Are you a fan of u-pick farms in North Dakota? Do you have any favorites you'd like to see me cover someday? Let me know by filling out this form.
Did you know there were some downright terrifying bugs in North Dakota? Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of bugs. I can handle all of the other common fears such as rodents, snakes, heights, and blood. Insects, however, will send me shrieking and sprinting in the opposite direction. Even butterflies make me a little anxious if they get too close. Knowing these bugs are found in my own state wasn't exactly the best news.
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I hope this article is as fun for you to read as it was for me to research, which means it will make you check your sheets before going to bed tonight. Twice. Not saying that I did that or anything, but I may have done that. I wish I didn't know that these bugs in North Dakota could be near me, but if you're brave enough, then here you go. The following are 10 insects that can be found right here in the state of North Dakota. How many of them have you come into contact with?
As if normal wasps weren't bad enough, these have long abdomens that look lethal. Fortunately, they do not normally use them to sting. In fact, females use them to impale grubs living underground, lay an egg in them, which then hatches into wasp larvae that eats the grub from inside out. How pleasant!
If you were wondering, "Are there assassin bugs in North Dakota?" - for better or worse, the answer is "yes." That thing underneath this bug's head can be used to stab prey as well as defend themselves, so I suggest you don't try to pick one up. They can inject venom upon stabbing, or digestive juices, which they use on bugs they find for meals to liquify the bug from the inside out. A sting from one of these guys can be bad enough to send you to the hospital due to pain. Want to learn more? Check out this YouTube video from the Smithsonian Channel:
These type of spiders can jump 50 times their own body length. They don't make webs very often, preferring to hunt rather than lay in waiting. This means you might see them hanging out on a fence somewhere, prepared to spring at any moment.
With bright red and black coloring, and the friendly, inviting name "cow killer," these guys have to be completely harmless, right? Yeah, no. Their stings are so painful they can cause a cow to fall over stunned. Just think of what they could do to the average person. The pain is known to be a lasting one, too, so don't expect it to stop hurting after a few days. I'd avoid this insect at all costs!
You may think scorpions only live in deserts, but there is a type of scorpion-like insect that can be found in North Dakota. These pseudoscorpions, or book scorpions (among other names), are very small and generally nonlethal, but like their names would imply, they can be found in books or within old clothing since they usually prey on clothing moths' larvae. So really, they are beneficial to us in the long run, but lets be honest. No one really wants to find one of these insects in their clothes, especially while they are wearing them.
Whenever you hear "cat-faced spider," you might think of some sort of cute little bug with big wide eyes and cute ear-like features. Maybe even some whiskers, but instead you get this. This thing. This very non-cat-like thing. Some fun facts: egg sacs full of these guys can survive winter after being laid by the female cat-faced spider who dies immediately afterwards. When it hatches, many of the baby spiders will eat their brothers and sisters. Talk about family sacrifice!
Nope! No thank you! There's nothing I dislike more than a bug with the word "giant" in its name. And giant water bugs surely do deserve their title. They have large pincers for forelegs that they use to hunt small fish, frogs, or other North Dakota bugs. And they also have the fitting nickname of "toe-biters" since unknowing swimmers will get a nasty pinch if they get too close to one. Yuck!
I wouldn't want to stomp on this spider with that spiky abdomen. They do make neat webs, though, which are known to look like CDs. Another fun tidbit is that, like some other spiders, male spined micrathenas are much smaller than females with less lethal-looking bodies, and they usually die during their mating rituals.
It's not a wasp, and it's not a praying mantis either, but it sure looks like both of those things mashed together, resulting in nothing but weird and creepy. I can't hate them entirely though, even if what I'm about to tell you is kind of gross. They are an enemy to the wolf spider due to the fact that mantidfly larvae, after they hatch, will find their way to a wolf spider egg sac while it is being constructed. They will freeload around in there and eat all of the eggs until eventually hatching from it, much to the frustration of the mother wolf spider, who has been carrying around that egg sac underneath her for quite a while and expecting a bunch of baby spiders. I guess I don't know which is worse. One of these things emerging, or tons of baby spiders. Either way, I don't want to interact with either of them. Ever!
This is the kind of thing I have nightmares about. Half the reason spiders are scary is the fact that they can dart around very quickly, but these guys are known for their high speeds due to their extra long legs. They are also known to run sideways like crabs, hence the name. They chase after prey and do not use webs to hunt like the jumping spider does. I'd appreciate it if these spiders used their characteristics to run far, far away from me.
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Have you ever come across any of these 10 bugs in North Dakota? What is some other North Dakota wildlife that you've encountered? If so, please share them with us in the comments below! Meanwhile, you may wish to invest in some insect protection!
