2025 Spring, Summer, and Fall Field Trips, Education Programs, and Speakers
We are excited for yet another field trip season in the Sax-Zim Bog! Accessibility notes are offered on the list of trips below. Carpooling during field trips will be done at the comfort level of participants. Field Trip attendance is free for members (those who have donated $25 or more within the past year). If you are interested in membership, the $25 fee covers membership and free entry to any field trip or program in a 12-month period!
Friday Afternoon Speaker programs do not require registration. Minnesota Master Naturalist field trips require registration through the Minnesota Master Naturalist online portal.
To give everyone better expectations of rigor for each field trip, we have included relative activity levels for each field trip this season. The approximate ratings are as follows:
Field Trip Activity Level Ratings
1- Easy (travel over even terrain on roadways/boardwalks or limited hiking up to ½ mile total)
2- Moderate (travel over even or uneven terrain, dry to wet conditions, or hiking over ½ mile total)
3- Average (travel over even or uneven terrain, hiking off trail possible, or hiking up to 1 mile total)
4- Difficult (travel primarily over uneven terrain, wet conditions, or hiking over 1 mile total)
5-Strenuous (mostly off trail with travel primarily over uneven and wet terrain or hiking up to 2 miles)
If you have any questions about any of the field trips listed, field trip registration process, questions about the accessibility of a field trip, or feedback on our activity rating scale please contact Head Naturalist Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus via email at naturalist@saxzim.org.
Saturday, May 3
Things that go Buzz, Croak, Hoot, and Bump in the Night!
6:00-10:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1 -2
As Spring makes itself known in the Sax-Zim Bog, we start our Spring and Summer Field Trip Season with the longest running field trip we offer! Though it still may approach 30 degrees during the night, spring in the Bog is full of life…and dusk is a great time to SEE and HEAR some of the unique critters. On this evening field trip, we will listen for early season frog species, American Bittern, Wilson’s Snipe, American Woodcock, search for Great Gray Owls, and more! Plan on bringing a head lamp or flashlight, as well as mud boots with you during this field trip.
Register for this field trip here: Buzz, Croak, and Hoot Field Trip
Wednesday, May 7, 14, 21, and 28
Warbler Wednesdays
6:00 am-12:00 pm Meeting at the Welcome Center Parking Lot
Activity Rating: 2
Warblers! That is what the target of this weekly field trip will be! Of course, there are MANY other species of birds to see and hear in the bog during the end of spring migration and the start of nesting. Field trips will hope to see and hear flashy warblers, cryptic wetland species, and even prairie birds! Our trips are a good introduction to summer birding in the Sax-Zim Bog and routinely see and/or hear 80-100 species during a morning of birding! Join us each Wednesday to see and learn about the diverse bird communities that make the greater Sax-Zim Bog area such an amazing and important collection of habitats. Registration for these trips will be split into two groups and each group will try to see similar species but will cover different areas of the Bog. Groups will meet at noon to share stories about what was (or wasn’t!) seen during the day!
Register below for:
Saturday, May 10, 17, 24, and 31
Songbird Saturdays
6:00 am-12:00 pm Meeting at Faith Lutheran Church 5697 Hwy 7, Culver, MN 55779
Activity Rating: 2
LIMITED REGISTRATION
Warbler Wednesdays have become a very poplar and sought-after field trip for us, with enough attendance to warrant an expansion to Saturdays! While the targets of these field trips will still be the same as Warbler Wednesdays, this year, the locations will be all new! We will still hope to see and hear flashy warblers, cryptic wetland species, but we will be visiting the south end of the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem to do so! This field trip will be a great way to see more of the region and perhaps discover a few new locations for your birding forays to the region during the summer months. NOTE: registration is limited for these trips and we WILL NOT be meeting at the Welcome Center (though we will end up here at the end of the day).
Register below for:
Sunday, June 1
Sax-Zim Bog Early Season Butterflies Field Trip
12:00-5:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
The Sax-Zim Bog is home to a diverse set of plant communities and within those communities are a wide diversity of butterflies and moths that have specialized relationships with those plants. This field trip will explore the “early season” diversity of butterflies in the Sax-Zim Bog, many of which are specialists on bog dwelling plant species. These early season butterflies also have short flight periods, making this window of time perfect for these awesome bugs! Species we hope to see include 3-4 species of elfin, Jutta Arctic, Frieja Fritillary, and maybe even Red-disked Alpine or Frigga Fritillary!
Register for this field trip here: Early Season Butterflies Field Trip
Saturday, June 7
Northwoods Reptiles and Amphibians Field Trip
10:00-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
For the first time ever(!!) we are offering a reptile and amphibian-based field trip! Northern Minnesota is home to an impressive diversity of reptiles and amphibians, with 14 species present in the Sax-Zim Bog alone. This field trip will spend time searching for and observing as many of those species as we can, with special notes on how to better observe or find reptiles and amphibians. Come join us on the first of its kind trip in the Bog!
Register for this field trip here: Northwoods Reptiles and Amphibians Field Trip
Sunday, June 8
BogVenture Series: Toivola Swamp
10:00-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 3-4
Last season, we offered a series of field trips exploring sites not many folks in the Sax-Zim Bog venture off-trail to see. This season, we are continuing that series under a different name to offer folks and opportunity to get off-trail and into the wildest regions of the Sax-Zim Bog. The first field trip this season will head out to the Toivola Swamp. 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 show off the diversity of bogs!
Plan on getting wet and hiking over uneven terrain off-trail during this field trip.
Register for this field trip here: BogVenture Series: Toivola Swamp
Saturday, June 14
Minnesota Naturalists’ Association Workshop: A Naturalist’s Guide to Moths and Moth-watching
Registration now open!
Head over to the Minnesota Naturalists’ Association for more information and registration: A Naturalist’s Guide to Moths and Moth-watching
Saturday, June 21
Minnesota Master Naturalist Advanced Training: An Introduction to Bird Song
Registration not yet available! Check back later!
Sunday, June 22
Native Plants and Pollinators Field Trip
10:00 am-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 3
Gardening with native plants is one of the most important things you can do to attract birds, butterflies, and more to your yard. Including and implementing best practices for your yard and local plant community can be important and this field trip will hope to introduce a few important plant species for our region. We will also consider the wide range of insects that offer food for birds, but also act as pollinators to the plants you might consider adding to your gardens! Plan on short hikes to explore several different ecosystem types to give you a good idea of what plants might be best for your yard.
Register for this field trip here: Native Plants and Pollinators Field Trip
Saturday, June 28
Orchids of the Sax-Zim Bog Field Trip
9:00 am-4:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
The Sax-Zim Bog is home to over 20 species of orchid, including healthy populations of Pink Ladyslipper, Purple-fringed Orchid, and Minnesota’s State Flower: Showy Ladyslipper! This trip will cover a lot of ground hoping to find orchids that represent the diversity of the Sax-Zim Bog. This trip will likely involve a little “bog stomping” so rubber boots are a must! Last year, this field trip found 8 species of orchid… Hopefully we can match that number this year as well!
Register for this field trip here: Orchids of the Sax-Zim Bog
Sunday, June 29
Great Gray Peatland Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey #1
12:00-5:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2-3
Over the years, we have offered a range of field trips about dragonflies and damselflies in the Sax-Zim Bog. One thing we have not offered, however, is the opportunity to participate in a Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey! Due to the recent work to build, maintain, and reestablish wetland function in the Great Gray Peatland, it is worth investigating the communities of dragonflies and damselflies in the area to see how they may change over time. The wetland restoration east of Sax Road is an easily accessible location that will offer an opportunity to survey for years to come to help give us an idea of how that habitat will change over time.
Register for this field day here: Great Gray Peatland Odonate Survey #1
Saturday, July 5
BogVenture Series: Alborn Fen
10:00-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 3-4
Last year, the finale to our Lesser Visited Sites Series visited the Alborn Fen. This is a really unique site in our area, as it is really truly a fen on a landscape primarily featuring bog habitats. So far, this site has offered up some exceptional species for our area including Bog Copper, Spoon-leaf Sundew, Meager Sedge, Rose Pogonia, and Zigzag Darner! 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 show off the diversity of bogs, or in this case, fens!
Register for this field trip here: BogVenture Series: Alborn Fen
Sunday, July 6
Non-native Plants Field Trip
10:00 am-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
On the human changed landscape we find ourselves in, whether it be rural or urban, there are plants thriving. Some of those plants come from places far and wide, where others might just be out of place, growing in locations with the right habitat due to some small human change or movement. This field trip will have a focus on plants we might call “weeds,” “noxious invaders,” or simply not native. We will also focus on plant species that might be native to Minnesota but find themselves in the “wrong habitat” due to human means!
Register for this field trip here: Non-native Plants Field Trip
Friday, July 18
Summer Season Friday Speaker #1
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
As Speakers are confirmed information will be updated! All speakers begin at 12 noon and are held in the Lois King Education in-person. No Registration is required for these programs!
Saturday, July 19
Mid-season Sax-Zim Bog Butterflies Field Trip
12:00-5:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
The Sax-Zim Bog is home to a diverse set of plants, most of which have a particularly close relationship to butterflies and moths. Through the seasons butterfly communities can greatly, with July being one of the most diverse months to see butterflies. This field trip will hope to encounter uncommon (to our area!) southern species like Black Swallowtail and Silver-spotted Skipper, wetland specialists like Baltimore Checkerspot, all the while sorting through fast moving Skippers and Blues! The Sax-Zim Bog offers a lot for the casual butterfly watcher, as well as the seasoned butterfly enthusiast! All ages and ability levels are welcome!
Register for this field trip here: Mid-season Sax-Zim Bog Butterflies
Sunday, July 20
Minnesota Master Naturalist Advanced Training: Aquatic Ecology
Registration not yet available! Check back later!
Monday, July 21 to Friday, July 25
Minnesota Master Naturalist Biome Course
Mark your calendars as registration is not yet available! Check back later!
Friday, August 1
Summer Season Friday Speaker #2
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
As Speakers are confirmed information will be updated! All speakers begin at 12 noon and are held in the Lois King Education in-person. No Registration is required for these programs!
Saturday, August 2
Carnivorous and Odd-ball Plants Field Trip
10:00 am-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2-3
The Sax-Zim Bog is a network of habitats, which allows for a large diversity of flowering plants! Some species are especially odd when you consider the ways that they have adapt to thrive in less-than-ideal ecosystems like bogs and the shallow, acidic soils of northern Minnesota. This field trip will place a special focus on the “plant weirdos” found within the Sax-Zim Bog, including pitcher plants, sundews, ghost pipe, pinesaps, coralroots, bladderworts, and more!
Register for this field trip here: Carnivorous and Odd-ball Plants Field Trip
Sunday, August 3
Minnesota Master Naturalist Advanced Training: An Introduction to Plant Ecology and Morphology
Registration not yet available! Check back later!
Saturday, August 9
13th Annual Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz!!!
Friends of Sax-Zim Bog has made this an annual summer event. In it’s 13th year, the BioBlitz continues to grow with the addition of new field trips and experts, documentation of species in new areas of the Bog, and increased attendance by naturalists and curious outdoors folks alike.
The concept of a bioblitz started a couple decades ago, with the noble cause of documenting species before they were lost in the rainforest. The concept evolved in North America to become an educational event and we continued the importance of education and documentation in our bioblitz! All leaders share information about the species targeted on each field trip and in turn, we all get to learn about what folks found interesting and exciting during the compilation at the end of the day. These two items (and our excellent field trip leaders!) make for a very enjoyable and educational day!
Registration opens in mid-June, so be sure to check back later for the full field trip schedule!
Friday, August 15
Summer Season Friday Speaker #3
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
As Speakers are confirmed information will be updated! All speakers begin at 12 noon and are held in the Lois King Education in-person. No Registration is required for these programs!
Saturday, August 16
Eco-Writing Workshop w/Sheila Packa
DETAILS TO COME, but we can say we are excited to offer a different type of workshop in the Lois King Education Center and in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem. Art is something that we feel strongly about here in the Sax-Zim Bog and have been inspired by a wide range of artists and writers on our journies in the outdoors.
To learn more about Sheila and her works/style check out her website: https://sheilapacka.com/
Registration not yet available! Check back later!
Friday, August 29
10 years of American Kestrel research in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem
Presented by Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus, Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Head Naturalist
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
If you have been to the Sax-Zim Bog, you likely have noticed nest boxes on the telephone poles and trees scattered around the landscape. These boxes are part of a long-term monitoring project, our American Kestrel Nest Box Project, which has entered it’s 10th year of data collection this summer. Head Naturalist Clinton oversees this project and is excited to share a milestone update to the project and give information about American Kestrel conservation in Minnesota and beyond.
Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus is the Head Naturalist for the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog! Education and outreach are a major component of his work in the bog, as well as some research endeavors like Winter Raptor Surveys, Rare Owl Surveys, and the American Kestrel Nest Box Project to name a few. The photo above features the 500th nestling American Kestrel banded as part of the project and was handled and banded under appropriate state and federal permits.
Saturday, August 30
Nighttime Neighbors Evening Program: Minnesota’s Bats!
5:30-9:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
It seems like this year is a season of firsts! This winter saw the first mammal specific field trip and education program; so far this summer we have offered the first Reptile and Amphibian Field Trip; and we are going to add another first to that list: Bats! While bats do get talked about during our moth programs, we don’t have nearly enough time to spend talking about how amazing these mammals are. This program will be all about bats: the global diversity, their conservation needs, how to support bats, and we will even spend some time “listening” for bats out and about at dusk. There will be an indoor and outdoor component to this field trip.
Register for this field trip here: Nighttime Neighbors Evening Program
Sunday, August 31
Late-Season Wildflowers Field Trip
10:00 am-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
By late August and September, most of the plants you see have begun to get ready for next season: setting seed, dropping leaves, or putting out new growth. However, there is still A LOT of blooming yet to be done by a wide range of species, especially species that thrive in and near wetlands during the later parts of summer. This field trip will hope to encounter at least 2 orchid species, as well as suite of wetland species and fall blooming species.
Register for this field trip here: Late Season Wildflowers Field Trip
Saturday, September 6
Minnesota Master Naturalist Advanced Training: Spiders of Minnesota
Registration not yet available! Check back later!
Sunday, September 7
Great Gray Peatland Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey #2
12:00-5:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2-3
Over the years, we have offered a range of field trips about dragonflies and damselflies in the Sax-Zim Bog. One thing we have not offered, however, is the opportunity to participate in a Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey! Due to the recent work to build, maintain, and reestablish wetland function in the Great Gray Peatland, it is worth investigating the communities of dragonflies and damselflies in the area to see how they may change over time. The wetland restoration east of Sax Road is an easily accessible location that will offer an opportunity to survey for years to come to help give us an idea of how that habitat will change over time.
Register for this field day here: Great Gray Peatland Odonate Survey #2
Friday, September 12
Summer Season Friday Speaker #5
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
As Speakers are confirmed information will be updated! All speakers begin at 12 noon and are held in the Lois King Education in-person. No Registration is required for these programs!
Saturday, September 13
Moths and More Evening Field Trip
7:00-11:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
At over 800 species, moths are the most species rich group documented in the greater Sax-Zim Bog! Even though they are one of the most diverse groups of insects in our region, moths don’t get the same attention as their day flying relatives: butterflies! Moths often surpass their cousins in color, pattern, behavior, and specialized relationships to plants. This field trip will serve as a good introduction to the moth diversity in northeastern Minnesota. We will also use some of our time waiting for moths to arrive by listening for night singing insects, birds, mammals, and more! Because this field trip is at night, and mostly stationary, plan on bringing a head lamp or flashlight and folding chair.
Register for this field trip here: Moths and More Evening Field Trip
Sunday, September 14
Tracking and Animal Sign Field Trip
10:00 am-2:00pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2
Winter might be the best time to observe tracks and sign in our area, but that doesn’t mean you cannot find tracks and animal sign during the warmer seasons! This field trip will spend quality time in and near muddy stream banks, river crossings, and sandy roadsides to get a different season’s perspective on finding and identifying animal tracks and sign. If you have ventured out on snowshoes during the winter to look for tracks and sign, think about joining us for this “off-season” tracking field trip!
Register for this field trip here: Tracking and Animal Sign
Friday, September 26
Summer Season Friday Speaker #6
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1
As Speakers are confirmed information will be updated! All speakers begin at 12 noon and are held in the Lois King Education in-person. No Registration is required for these programs!
Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28
Fall Migration Field Trip
8:00 am- 2:00 pm Meeting at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
Migration season offers some difficult bird watching in northern Minnesota, as many of the breeding species rush out of our area on their way south! The last bird-based field trip of the season will hope to experience a little of what migration has to offer in the Sax-Zim Bog! Because of the amount of habitat, it can be quite difficult to find birds in the Sax-Zim Bog and this field trip will hope to show you how to best navigate the Sax-Zim Bog during migration.
Register below for:
Saturday, October 11
Sax-Zim Bog Fall Colors Field Trip
10:00 am-2:00pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
Mid-October seems to be the prime time to experience peak tamarack colors in the Sax-Zim Bog! This field trip will have a special focus on the biology behind the change of color we see by trees in Minnesota as the seasons change. We will also spend some time in the field, looking at a wide range of non-tree species that change from green to brilliant reds, oranges, or yellows in the fall. Depending on the timing of color change, the exact date of this field trip may be pushed back one week and all registrants will be apprised of any changes to the field trip date!
Register for this field trip here: Sax-Zim Bog Fall Colors
Spring, Summer, and Fall 2025 Field Trips may be updated through the season! Please check back for updates on Friday Afternoon Speaker topics, workshop updates, and updates on field trip attendance.
Directions to the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center
ADDRESS: The address is Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center 8793 Owl Avenue, Toivola, MN 55765
[NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MAILING ADDRESS…but put this address into Google Maps or Apple Maps.]
Directions from Cotton, MN on US HWY 53:
*Go West from Cotton on CR52/Arkola for 11 miles
*Turn South (left) on Owl Avenue
*Go 1.75 miles (second curve) to Welcome Center
Directions from Meadowlands, on CR133…
*Go East on CR133 to CR229/29
*Turn North (left) on CR229/29
*Go North to T at Correction Line Rd
*Turn West (left) on Correction Line Rd
*Road curves North and becomes Owl Ave
*Go North on Owl Avenue for 2.5 miles to Welcome Center