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Trail Marker 1
First up on Chipmunk Alley is this large oak tree. Chances are this huge specimen was here when the first Scandinavian settlers came to the area in the 1860s. The mighty oaks could withstand the Prairie fires that whipped across the land consuming dry grasses and leaving nutrients behind. Each acorn produced is a gift to the hungry wildlife, especially chipmunks and squirrels.
Trail Marker 2
Nettles, or burning weed, grows in abundance throughout these woods. Observe carefully the appearance of the plant and don't touch it as its leaves “sting” you and cause painful bumps on your skin for about an hour after contact. The leaves have the jagged edge like a Dragon's tooth. You can find recipes for Nettle Soup online; it is supposed to be very heathy.
SWELL has many vining plants: grapes, wild cucumbers, and Virginia Creeper (woodbine), which can be identified by its fan compound leaves with five leaflets. Its fruit is eaten by birds, mice, chipmunks, and skunks. It should not be confused with poison ivy that has only 3 leaves. We have eliminated all poison ivy at SWELL as far as we know. If you see some, please let us know.
Trail Marker 3
Check out the thick vines that run from the ground upwards. They look like something Tarzan might swing on. They are actually Minnesota’s only native grape vine, called Riverbank (or Frost) Grapes. They can grow up to 50 feet long and produce small, deep blue grapes that are too sour to eat raw but make an excellent jelly. They were used by Native American tribes for poultices (cures for aches & pains) and tea. Grape vines provide another layer of habitat to forest biomes and are an important food source for birds, raccoon, foxes and bears.
Trail Marker 4
Every few years, SWELL experiences strong winds during summer or winter storms that causes branches or whole trees to fall over. When plants or animals die, they quickly begin to decay. Many organisms live on this decaying organic material including bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects.
Fungi, like mushrooms, molds, and mildews, are NOT plants. They do not produce their own food from sunlight, but instead, get their energy from absorbing decaying plant material. They also reproduce with spores rather than seeds and they don’t have roots – they have hyphae. The many thread-like hyphae create an intricate web called a mycelial network. Through this network, fungi can communicate with up to 50 “words” in the form of varying electrical patterns.
Trail Marker 5
Here is one of SWELL’s largest trees. Basswood trees are easy to identify as they often grow in groups like the willows. As the basswood matures and starts to die, it begins to send out sprouts around its base. New basswood trees grow from the rootstocks, as well as sprouting from seeds. The leaves are large and heart shaped. Native Americans used the inner bark for making rope. Bark from young trees was stripped away from the wood and soaked for many days. The outer bark would rot away, leaving the soft, strong fibers of the inner bark. These strands were then twisted together to make rope or string.
Trail Marker 6
Throughout the woods, you will see many box elder trees. They are related to the maples and can be tapped in the spring. Indigenous peoples used the sap for syrup and candy. They also cooked and ate the inner cambium when food was scarce.
A little further up the path you will see another boxelder with holes up the trunk. These are made by woodpeckers looking for bugs living in the tree. SWELL has 9 woodpecker species that summer and winter here. The largest is the Piliated woodpecker that is 16-19 inches long. The little Downy woodpecker is only about 6 inches long.
Trail Marker 7
Notice here, a T in the trail. To the right is a path that leads to the 1876 log home, rows of Evergreen (conifer) trees along Pine Tree Track, and an area of prairie grasses and flowers through Prairie Pass. Walking left will take you to Gordon’s Hollow (wetland) pond, the classroom, and over the land bridge to Esker Ridge Trail and Wetland Way.
Trail Marker 8
To the left you can see Gordon's Hollow, alive with a variety of waterfowl, frogs, muskrats, and insects. Straight ahead is the man-made dam which helped to create this wetland ecosystem.
Many kinds of life depend on wetlands and pond habitats. Many of the trees growing close to the pond thrive with their roots being submerged and reach over the edge for sunlight. Wildlife comes for water and food. Numerous insects use the quiet pond for a nursery. Some pond plants can grow all the way to the bottom, while others just float on the water. Cattails purify the water and provide perfect nesting and cover for many species of ducks, geese, and black birds.
Over 400 acres of watershed flow into Gordon's Hollow and then into Scandia Lake. If the water level is high enough, the water eventually reaches the Minnesota river.
Flying overhead or swimming in the lakes you may see pelicans, snowy egrets, grey blue herons, cormorants, mallards, Canadian geese, and American coots. If you are really lucky, you may even see Trumpeter Swans.
Trail Marker 9
Upon passing one of SWELL’s restroom facilities, you will notice a trail going uphill to the right. The Wood Duck Lane trail will take you through a denser part of the woods and around to Prairie Pass or back to the log home.
Straight ahead is the classroom, which houses books, microscopes, binoculars, and a variety of specimens collected from the area including birds’ nests, skeletons, and hives. There is also a large collection of taxidermy specimens and animal hides. This building provides a gathering spot and place to learn about SWELL’s 3 biomes (prairie, forest & pond) along with information about biology, geology, and ecology.
Call Linda Retzlaff at 612-795-2478 for a peek inside the classroom or to set up events or tours.
Trail Marker 10
We’ve named this trail Wood Duck Lane, because the “woodies” find the high bank along Scandia Lake to be the perfect place to raise a family. Wood ducks will nest in hollow trees or use the wood nesting boxes provided by 4-H groups. This most colorful waterfowl can be observed raising 6-16 babies (twice a year). The babies only spend 24 hours in the nest after hatching and then fall out of the hole or house to follow their parents to the water.
Trail Marker 11
As you look out across Scandia Lake to the ridge on the other side, you might wonder how this landscape came to be. Ponds, lakes, and ridges are all examples of glacial influence in the area from around 11,000 years ago. The ridge is called an esker which was formed by sand and gravel deposited by a stream running under the glacier. The depressions in the ground formed kettle lakes that were filled as large chunks of ice were left behind as the glacier receded (melted back). This is how most of Minnesota’s lakes were formed – they are called “kettle lakes.”
You will notice random rocks along all the trails at SWELL. We lovingly refer to them as “glacier poop.”
Trail Marker 12
Burr oaks are among the oldest trees in the forest. They can grow up to three feet in diameter and reach 80 feet tall. The bark has a unique texture with large patches of thick, rough bark and light-colored smooth areas. They have a spooky Halloween appeal especially in the fall and winter. The acorns have a fringe or “Burr” around the cap which is how they got their name. As they have a deep taproot, they are resistant to drought and are also adapted to survive quite wet soil.
Native Americans used the burr oak acorns as a food source and the bark for medicinal purposes.
Trail Marker 13
The tree on your right is the American Elm. This type of tree is rapidly being decimated by Dutch Elm disease, which is really a fungus spread by a beetle. The lab has many large Elms skeletons as a result of this deadly disease. Will the same thing happen when the emerald ash borers arrive on the ash trees here?
Trail Marker 14
Listen to the wind as it passes through the Cottonwood trees. The leaves are triangular and “papery.” Cottonwoods are in the poplar family along with the Quaking Aspen. When SWELL began, there were many Aspen trees circling the pond, but the beavers cut them down to build their lodges. Beavers are still active in the area and a lodge can be seen from the classroom deck. You will also notice beaver activity by the entrance to the dam and the land bridge.
Another huge cottonwood tree can be found by Lake Lookout at the end of the Esker Ridge trail before beginning back along the Wetland Way trail. We call it Cottonwood Corner.
Trail Marker 15
Every few years, storms roll through the area and take down trees. Straight-line winds have toppled many big trees exposing the root balls. When the canopy of the trees is removed, the ecosystem below changes. More sun reaches the understory and the plants adapt. The only constant in the forest is change.
Trail Marker 16
A decaying tree is called a snag. Even though the tree is dead, it is full of life. Termites, centipedes, and sow bugs are some of the insects found in dead trees. Animals like chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, skunks, and woodchucks along with birds like woodpeckers think a snag is a great place to make a home. Sometimes, there are holes, or hollows, in living trees. Squirrels, chipmunks, woodpeckers, owls, and wood ducks like to live in them.
Trail Marker 17
To the left, you can walk through the Prairie Pass trail and see a new planting of black walnut trees and several large ant mounds. These are the homes of harvester ants. Notice the number of ants and the activity, both of which vary greatly with air temperature. Also observe the material that makes up the ant mound and the state of the vegetation surrounding the mound. Each mound has one queen with many worker ants that bring food, take care of the offspring, and rebuild the mound.
Be careful to keep watch on your feet while observing the ants. The grass near the mound is often “alive” with ants, and they are quick to bite. It is really important that you do not disturb the mound.
Trail Marker 18
Shrubs play a vital role in forest biomes, contributing to the ecosystem's structure, function, and biodiversity. Their roots help to anchor and enrich the soil. Their canopies reduce ground-level wind and sunlight, helping retain moisture in the forest floor. Shrubs also provide habitat and food for pollinators, birds, and our furry forest friends.
Shrubs at SWELL include gooseberry, elderberry, prickly ash, dogwood, chokecherry, and honeysuckle.
Trail Marker 19
At this "T" in the trail, take a left to the log home. This log home was originally built 7 miles north of SWELL by the Trontow family in 1876. Each log was labeled and then carefully disassembled until the whole structure was reassembled at SWELL.
The little road leading to SWELL was originally on the Wadsworth trail, a supply route that ran from St. Cloud to Fort Sisseton, SD. It played an important role in connecting military outposts, supporting westward expansion, and facilitating early settlement in the region.
Trail Marker 20
Upon leaving the log home, go through the opening in the split rail fence, turn right, and follow Pine Tree Track back to the entrance. On the right side of the path are all deciduous trees. These are the trees that lose their leaves in the fall. SWELL has 11 species of deciduous trees.
On the left, there are coniferous trees. These trees have needles instead of leaves and keep their needles all year long. Varieties of Fir, Spruce, and Cedar trees were planted by Stevens County Soil and Water Conservation District along with local volunteers.
Trail Marker 21
Across the road from the SWELL entrance, there is a short path that leads to several dugouts. Early settlers needed some kind of shelter for themselves and their livestock before they had time to build a permanent shelter. They would carve out holes in the ground and cover them with branches and prairie grass. Can you imagine surviving a Minnesota winter in a dugout?
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