The Ridges Sanctuary

Preservation, Education, and Research

Category: Blog

Nature Notes: Birding at a Time of Transition

Posted on Feb 28, 2024 by Jackie Rath   No Comments Yet | Posted in Blog · Featured · Nature Notes

By Dan Scheiman, Visitor Engagement Specialist During this mild El Niño winter, it feels like spring is just around the corner here in Door County, and it certainly is according to the calendar, if not according to phenologies such as bud burst and frost-free days. Birds’ annual cycles are better defined as breeding, non-breeding, and [..Read more]

Lake Level Changes: The Impact and Unpredictability of a Warmer Winter

Posted on Feb 4, 2024 by Jackie Rath   No Comments Yet | Posted in Blog · Nature Notes

By Anna Foster, Director of Programming As we delight in above-average temperatures this January, it’s easy to forget how the warmer days occurring now could impact what Lake Michigan looks like next summer. While we’re complaining about the lack of ice fishing and snowmobiling (or, in my case, snowshoeing), we don’t often consider how this [..Read more]

Nature Notes: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Posted on Dec 20, 2023 by Jeanne Farrell   1 Comment | Posted in Blog · Featured · Nature Notes

By Dan Scheiman, Visitor Engagement Specialist On Saturday, December 16, I participated in the Ephraim Christmas Bird Count. As a new Wisconsin resident and Ridges employee, it was my first time on this count, which has been going on for 60 years as part of an annual community science program, now in its 124th year. [..Read more]

Land Management Volunteers: Making an Impact

Posted on Oct 30, 2023 by Jackie Rath   1 Comment | Posted in Blog · Uncategorized

By Sam Hoffman, Land Manager As the heart of fall approaches and our field season winds down, it’s the perfect time to highlight Ridges Sanctuary land management volunteers and their invaluable contributions to our organization.  When I first joined The Ridges as Land Manager in November of 2021, one of the first projects I was [..Read more]

Nature Notes: A Buzzing Sanctuary

Posted on Sep 25, 2023 by Jackie Rath   2 Comments | Posted in Blog

By Libby Humphries, Environmental Educator  During the warmer months at The Ridges, a symphony of insects can be heard from the front garden to the Range Light corridor and throughout the rustic trails. This series of music, formed by layers of species harmonizing in unison, is the song of summer here. One of the key [..Read more]

Nature Notes: Monarch Madness

Posted on Aug 17, 2023 by Jeanne Farrell   No Comments Yet | Posted in Blog · Featured · Nature Notes · Uncategorized

by Anna Foster, Director of Programming A symbol of summer, monarch butterflies are widely recognized for their bright orange, black, and white spotted wings. Their scientific name, Danaus plexippus, translates to “sleepy transformation” in Greek, referring to their incredible ability to metamorphosize. From their larval stage, they form a chrysalis, spending two weeks metamorphizing into [..Read more]

Nature Notes: The Hidden Gem of the Sanctuary

Posted on Jul 27, 2023 by Jackie Rath   No Comments Yet | Posted in Blog · Featured · Nature Notes

By Jackie Rath, Program Coordinator Did you know that one of the most precious species of The Ridges Sanctuary is the Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)? This winged wonder is listed as Federally endangered and its largest populations are found in Door County, particularly in The Ridges Sanctuary and surrounding wetlands. In fact, the Hine’s [..Read more]

Research + Recovery: Protecting and Preserving Native Orchids

Posted on Jun 22, 2023 by Jeanne Farrell   1 Comment | Posted in Blog · Featured

By Tony Kiszonas The Ridges Sanctuary has tremendous plant diversity including native terrestrial orchids.  Following the idea that “lack of knowledge is as big a threat as any to sensitive species,” (Brzeskiewicz, M. September 25, 2000), The Ridges Sanctuary has the current research goal of developing institutionalized processes and protocols for the preservation and protection [..Read more]

Nature Notes: Evergreens & The Boreal Forest

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Jeanne Farrell   2 Comments | Posted in Articles · Blog · Featured · Nature Notes

By Anna Foster While Trillium, Yellow Lady’s Slippers, and Columbine are starting to unfurl in wooded lots along the peninsula, Dwarf Lake Iris and Marsh Marigolds are on display in the Sanctuary. Throughout the year, Ridges blooms trail slightly behind the rest of Door County. In fact, it’s about 10 degrees cooler in Baileys Harbor [..Read more]