This is Coral the Mouse. Coral lives at Rennwood Farm, and more than anything, Coral loves to explore the countryside around her home through each season of the year.

For Coral, spring is especially magical, with new life everywhere she looks. Trees bud, birds sing, flowers bloom, insects hum, and baby animals peep from nests, burrows, dens, brambles, and barns.

Each spring day is an adventure, and each week brings new plant and animal life to the busy countryside.

Today Coral pays a visit to a tiny sandy prairie beside her favorite marsh. The beautiful Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is in full bloom, and Coral admires the blue and purple petals of this lovely spring flower.

Wild Lupine bloom in May and June. Since they do best in full sun, open prairies are the perfect place for these flowers to grow and thrive.

Coral often collects wildflowers to decorate her tiny house, but she leaves the Lupine as she finds it. An endangered species of butterfly, the Karner blue (Plebejus melissa samuelis) depends entirely on Wild Lupine for its survival! Coral does not spot any Karner blue flitting about today, but she does hope some of these rare insects might visit her little prairie later in the month.

As Coral studies the beautiful pattern of the green Lupine leaves, a bright flash of red catches her eye.

What is the feathered creature she sees flying by?

It’s a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) which lands on a nearby branch! Cardinals live in Coral’s area all year long, but she loves to hear the bright red males and rust-brown females sing to each other in the spring as they build nests in trees and shrubs.

The sun is setting as Coral turns to go. She’s gathered a few stalks of prairie grass to take back home–the perfect evening snack for a Minnesota farm mouse!

Goodnight, Coral, until the next adventure!

~ Have you seen Wild Lupine growing in the spring?

~ What is your very favorite springtime flower?

~ What is the the most amazing butterfly you have ever seen?

~ Do Northern Cardinals live in your area?

~ Does your family set out bird feeders throughout the year?

Resources to explore:

~ Learn more about Wild Lupine.

~ Learn about the Karner blue butterfly.

~ Learn about the Northern Cardinal.