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Here in Minnesota, most of us are familiar with the Canada goose migration every spring and fall. These noisy birds fly over our state every spring, taking up residence in ponds and lakes before it is time to head south once again. But there’s another famous migration that takes place in Minnesota every year. It’s much quieter, but just as beautiful. Millions of monarch butterflies are headed straight for Minnesota this spring.
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Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration
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Have you ever spotted a monarch in Minnesota? While these butterflies still arrive by the millions, their numbers are dwindling. For more information about the insects, check out the DNR monarch butterfly page. And for information about attracting the butterflies to your yard, check out their butterfly garden page.
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Sunnyside Gardens: Minnesota’s Monthly Gardening Guide – Minneapolis, MN
National Eagle Center: Soar With The Eagles Returns This Spring! Featuring World Bird Sanctuary. After a short hiatus, the fan-favorite SOAR with the Eagles is back at the National Eagle Center in a new, exciting format! SOAR will take place throughout the year with seasonal events in the spring, summer, and fall and it all starts with our ‘Spring Hatch’ March 31 – April 2. Explore the amazing world of eagles and raptors with flying bird shows, exhibits, activities, and brand-new festival experiences all weekend long!
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Eaglets require a lot of energy (food) because they grow extremely fast! When they first hatch, they are the size of fluffy little baseballs, but in just six short weeks they look completely different, now mottled brown in color and standing about a foot and a half tall. Then, they will be full grown standing roughly two feet tall (the same size as their parents) in just 12 weeks, and fledge between 12 and 15 weeks! You can imagine that as an eagle parent, your days are completely devoted to bringing more and more food back to the nest, which is why location is so important for nest placement. You build a nest near an abundant food source like a river or lake.
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In total, nesting season, from first courtship rituals and building up the nest to the young fledging and the parents leaving them on their own, takes less than half the year. It is a hectic schedule for sure, but that is how eagles do it. Our region’s earliest nests have already been feeding the eaglets for a few weeks, while the latest may just now be laying eggs, but you can expect that nesting season will be fully wrapped up by mid-August in the Upper Mississippi River valley. Until then, there is plenty for the eagles to do and lots for us humans to observe. Happy viewing!
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Bald Eagle flying above the Mississippi River in Minnesota – Wall Art Vertical Poster
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Friday, March 31st: National Eagle Center Live Eagle Program at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
Saturday, April 1st and Sunday, April 2nd: World Bird Sanctuary Raptor Show at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
(Note: In case of inclement weather, shows will be held in Wabasha-Kellogg High School auditorium.)
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Purchase Admission & Seat Reservation
… National Eagle CenterNorth Shore Annual Stargazing and Comet Calander & Bell Museum’s March Star Party!
Fresh sashimi at the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant K’Kinaco.
MPR: It’s a Friday evening at the newly opened K’kinaco Nikkei and Pisco Bar in downtown Hopkins. The restaurant is packed with families, couples and groups of friends laughing and talking mostly in Spanish. Latin music plays in the background and the umami smell of traditional Nikkei food fills the room.
Behind the sushi bar at K’kinaco is Chef Enrique Salazar, known by his community as “Señor Nikkei.” He proudly wears a black apron with the Peruvian flag on his shoulder and makes sure that each roll, dish, and drink are plated well and taste even better.
Originally from Peru, Salazar grew up in a family with a love for food. His father was a third generation Chinese Peruvian who loved to prepare traditional food for his family. Salazar’s mother was a pastry chef who baked traditional Peruvian desserts.
“I have a lot of knowledge of Peruvian desserts, which are going to be included on the menu,” said Salazar speaking in Spanish.
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And in fact, K’kinaco’s menu offers two traditional desserts: “crema volteada,” a creamy type of flan, and “suspiro de Limeña,” a Peruvian style caramel pudding.
Salazar came to the U.S from Peru during a difficult political and economic crisis in his home country. The bank where he worked was shut down and Salazar was one of 30,000 employees left unemployed.
Salazar says when he first arrived in the country he was not able to continue working in banking because of the language barrier. He soon met a friend who helped him get his start as a sushi chef in Minneapolis. Still, Salazar remembers how difficult those first years were for his family.
“The adaptation process was very hard. I come from the coast, from a mild weather where there is no rain, where there is no snow, so the first years were very difficult,” he said. “Despite knowing many states, and having traveled a lot around the country, I think Minnesota is definitely the place where I am going to stay. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
As the years went by, Salazar mastered the art of Japanese cooking techniques. He was happy being a sushi chef and running a catering business on the side, but he dreamed of opening his own Nikkei restaurant and highlighting traditional Peruvian food.
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Salazar was able to make his dream a reality with the help of two good friends – Roberto Palma and Charlie Mandile. The first one to join the gastronomic journey was Roberto Palma, a Peruvian businessman.
“Chef Enrique started talking about his dream to bring Peruvian food, Nikkei food maybe eight or ten years ago,” he said. “Just bringing ideas to reality, that’s how we become involved. The three of us bring a special superpower to this project and I love it.”
American Charlie Mandile — the last to join — turned out to bring the missing piece. His finance background helped K’kinaco become a reality.
“I helped them understand potentially the financial opportunities to pursue their dream and about three weeks later, they showed up at my door with a business plan,” he said. “They had started a while back and said, do you want to help us make our dream come true? And how can I say no to that?”
The name K’kinaco is derived from both Peruvian and Japanese cultures. Kinaku is a Quechua and Aymara word meaning “treasure” in Peru. Kinako is a Japanese food product made from soybeans. Salazar says they loved that the name reflected cultural traditions from both countries.
Nikkei food is made with Peruvian ingredients like tropical fish, quinoa and native peppers and herbs, molded by Japanese techniques. It’s becoming popular in the U.S. too and it is a style of cooking that has long been close to Salazar’s heart.
The restaurant’s founders say K’kinaco is the first Nikkei and Pisco bar experience in Minnesota. Pisco is a fine grape distillate declared Cultural Heritage of Peru since 1988 and it is the base of the emblematic cocktail called Pisco Sour.
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“I’ve been living in Minnesota for 27 years and even though there were some Peruvian restaurants, they are all closed now,” said Rosario Bretey while tasting a Pisco sour. “Being here enjoying the food makes me feel like we are in Perú.”
Bretey and other Peruvian members of a non-profit group called Mi Perú gave the restaurant high marks.
K’kinaco’s gastronomic profile not only pleases Peruvian and Japanese palates, but also surprises people like Claudia Knutson, a Colombian living in Minnesota who says she’s a fan of a particular Peruvian dish called ‘lomo saltado.’ “This dish has flavor, its texture is spectacular and the Pisco sour is delicious,” she said.
During his more than twenty years in the U.S., Chef Enrique Salazar has stuck to his roots and opened a restaurant that reminded him of the country that saw him grow up.
“Being in this country does not mean that we have to put aside our culture,” he said. “ I am an admirer of my culture, of my traditions.”
Salazar adds that he is expecting his first granddaughter and says he will teach her about her heritage.
“We are going to teach her everything related to the culture of her grandparents,” said Salazar. The only way to maintain our traditions is through future generations.”
Salazar says he hopes to continue growing K’kinaco, making it a place for the Peruvian community to come together, enjoy the Nikkei style of cooking, and feel like they are in a place that reminds them of home.
Salazar says he hopes to continue growing K’kinaco, making it a place for the Peruvian community to come together, enjoy the Nikkei style of cooking, and feel like they are in a place that reminds them of home.
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Looking to connect with contemporary art? A public tour at the Walker is a fun way to learn about the artworks on view, the ideas behind them, and the complex issues that they raise. Tours explore a selection of works across current exhibitions and include interactive discussion facilitated by Walker educators.
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Public tours start in the Main Lobby and are free on Thursday evenings. No registration required, and participants of all ages are welcome. Please gather five minutes before 6 pm.
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Visitors in From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America, 2011. Photo by Gene Pittman. Courtesy Walker Art Center.
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North Shore Annual Stargazing and Comet Calander & Bell Museum’s March Star Party!
Highlights:
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Great for:
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Spend a spring weekend exploring the melting rivers of the North Shore of three Minnesota State Parks.
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12 p.m. Arrive at Jay Cooke State Park and stay overnight.
Note: Stay one night at Jay Cooke and one night at Gooseberry Falls, or two nights at Jay Cooke State Park.
The park offers several opportunities for overnight stays. Within the campground there are heated camper cabins, electric and non-electric campsites or walk-in sites. There are also backpack campsites that are a 2-3 mile hike in. Make a reservation! opens in a new browser tab
A swinging bridge spans the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park.
The St. Louis River cascades over ancient slanted rocks to create dramatic rapids and small waterfalls. These rapids can be viewed several ways around the park.
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| St Louis River rapids. | Turbulent cascades churn coffee-colored water. |
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Hiking Waterfalls in Minnesota: A Guide to the State’s Best Waterfall Hikes
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Travel to Tettegouche State Park (approximately 2 hrs).
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Arrive at Tettegouche State Park.
Tettegouche State Park features many spectacular views of the falls.
The Cascades Trail (1.5 miles)
Shovel Point Trail (1.2 miles)
High Falls (3 miles)
Don’t Miss: Palisade Head stop on way to Gooseberry Falls State Park – Look for the Palisade Head parking lot and road about 1.5 miles southwest of Tettegouche State Park.
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Travel to Gooseberry Falls State Park, overnight stay (30 minute travel time) Learn more about Gooseberry Falls State Park
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Expanses of rocky ledges frame the plunging Gooseberry River as it races over falls toward Lake Superior within Gooseberry State Park.
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Gooseberry River travels three miles through the park, over five waterfalls and many rapids in which the water drops 240 feet down to Lake Superior.
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Fifth Falls Trail (2-mile loop)
River View Trail (2.5-mile loop)
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| The Gooseberry River offer a visitor many views of the falls to choose from. |
Stop in the Joseph Alexander Visitor Center to gift shop, bird watch or enjoy the view of Lake Superior and Gooseberry River. The Department of Transportation rest area is open from 8am to 9pm daily. Wander through the building to view exhibits and watch a short movie about the park in the theater.
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Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery: Winter Plein Air Exhibition – Grand Marais, MN
