Animals

With all the biodiversity in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, seeing the uncommon, rare or difficult-to-find species can require special, targeted effort. This field trip is focused on finding two unique butterfly species: Frigga Fritillary and Red-disked Alpine. These two butterflies are specialists of open bogs, which are not very common in this area, and feature Bog Willow, Cranberry and sedges.

Please note: this is a strenuous field trip with almost all the hiking done off-trail in wet and uneven conditions.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.

Northern Minnesota is home to an impressive diversity of reptiles and amphibians, with 14 species present in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, alone. On this field trip, attendees will spend time searching for and observing many of these species, including turtles, frogs, snakes, toads, salamanders and maybe more. Attendees will also learn tips on how to better observe or find reptiles and amphibians on their own adventures.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org.

The Alborn Fen is a true fen in a landscape that primarily features bog habitats, making it a unique wetland site in the Sax-Zim Bog area. So far, this site has offered up some exceptional species for the area, including Bog Copper, Spoon-leaf Sundew, Meager Sedge, Rose Pogonia and Zigzag Darner. This field trip has the exciting potential to add even more species to that list. The goals of this field trip are to explore this amazing habitat, see some of the more rare or localized species found in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, and to show off the diversity of bogs and fens. Attendees can expect to be hiking off-trail in wet, sometimes uneven terrain and rubber/waterproof boots are recommended.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 10 a.m. The field trip concludes at 3 p.m.

The Sax-Zim Bog is home to a diverse set of plants, and most of those plants have a particularly close relationship to butterflies and moths. Through the seasons, butterfly communities can vary greatly, and July is one of the best months to see an abundant diversity of butterflies in this area. This field trip seeks to provide some encounters with uncommon (to the area) southern species like Black Swallowtail and Silver-spotted Skipper, as well as wetland specialists like Baltimore Checkerspot, and fast-moving Skippers and Blues.

All ages and ability levels are welcome. Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.

At nearly 900 species documented in the greater Sax-Zim Bog, moths are the most species-rich group documented so far. Even though they are one of the most diverse groups of insects in our region, moths often don’t get the same attention as their day-flying relatives, butterflies. Moths are worthy of special attention and often exceed their cousins in interesting color, pattern, behavior and their specialized relationships to plants. This field trip will serve as a good introduction to the moth diversity in northeastern Minnesota. Attendees may also have the opportunity to enjoy listening for night-singing insects, birds, mammals and more. Because this field trip is at night, plan on bringing a head-lamp or flashlight. This field trip can also be fairly stationary, so feel free to bring a folding chair.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 8:30 p.m. The field trip concludes at 11 p.m.

With all the biodiversity in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, seeing the uncommon, rare or difficult-to-find species can require special, targeted effort. This event is the third of this year’s new, species-focused field trip series. It is focused on finding one of the few odonates with special conservation status in Minnesota: Subarctic Darner. This is a large dragonfly of open peatlands, with a preference for areas with Buckbean.

This will be a strenuous field trip with almost all the hiking done off-trail in uneven and wet conditions.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.

Tiger beetles are a colorful, yet overlooked group of beetles that are becoming quite popular to amateur entomologists and naturalists. The species is often found in gravel pits or open sandy areas. Their large eyes, bright colors and tenacious attitudes are something to experience. Participants in this field trip learn a little more about these colorful and fast predators. The trip will likely encounter all eight species of tiger beetle in the region, with a chance to document the final species present in the region.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.

Spiders are an interesting bunch: some folks have nothing but nice things to say about them, while others cannot bear to be within several hundred feet of these eight-legged wonders. The Sax-Zim Bog has more than 130 species of spider, including several first state records and dozens of new county record species documented in the past few years. This field trip is a chance to learn a little more about the many different species of spiders in Minnesota and spend some time observing these misunderstood critters.

Field trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.

This new field trip offers an introductory look into the weird, wonderful world of flies, moths and mites, and the often identifiable signs they create on plants. Explore and learn to start noticing the easily-overlooked evidence of these creatures on leaves, stems and branches. Hand lenses are available for use during the field trip.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 10 a.m. The field trip concludes at 3 p.m.

Migration in the fall season offers some fun but challenging bird watching in northern Minnesota, as many breeding species start to head south. One of the main challenges in Sax-Zim Bog during fall migration is the sheer abundance of habitat for these en-route birds. This is fantastic for the birds, but it can be quite difficult for the birders hoping to see them. This bird-focused field trip seeks to share some of what the Sax-Zim Bog has to offer and demonstrate how to best navigate the area during fall migration.

Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 8 a.m. The field trip concludes at 2 p.m.

Migration in the fall season offers some fun but challenging bird watching in northern Minnesota, as many breeding species start to head south. One of the main challenges in Sax-Zim Bog during fall migration is the sheer abundance of habitat for these en route birds. This is fantastic for the birds, but it can be quite difficult for the birders hoping to see them. This bird-focused field trip seeks to share some of what the Sax-Zim Bog has to offer and demonstrate how to best navigate the area during fall migration.

Field trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.

Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 8 a.m. The field trip concludes at 2 p.m.