All Posts
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Adventures in Plant Evolution
Published05/13/2020 , By Eve Daniels
Ya Yang hiked to a glacier in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lightning cracked in the distance. Yang and her collaborators found the plant they were looking for, pulled it from the icy water, roots and all. -
Reeling in the Centuries
Published05/11/2020 , By Eve Daniels
There are around 1.4 million licensed anglers in Minnesota, and they are surrounded by some 4,500 good fishing lakes. Whether you’re one of those 1.4 million, or you simply have a fascination with fishes, you can take some local pride in the fishes collection at the Bell Museum. -
A Bell Volunteer’s Perspective
Published , By Ward Tongen
Enjoy this guest post from Bell volunteer Ward Tongen. -
Statewide Biodiversity Survey
Published05/07/2020
In 2019, Bell Museum curators embarked on the creation of a baseline biodiversity survey to document plant and animal species on six U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recreation areas, with a particular focus on locating species of conservation concern. -
Minnesota Icons: Showy Lady’s Slipper
Published05/03/2020 , By Heather Cummins
In 1902, the showy lady’s slipper, also called the pink and white lady’s slipper, became Minnesota’s state flower. Showy lady’s slippers have been protected in Minnesota since 1925, making it illegal to pick, uproot, or unearth these special symbols of our state. Lady’s slipper orchids get their name from the… -
Diorama Spotlight: Cranes in the Red River Valley
Published05/01/2020 , By Adam Hartman, gallery programs assistant
It’s early May in the Red River Valley. Thousands of lesser and greater sandhill cranes gather just outside Fertile, Minnesota, on the sand dunes that remain of the dried lake bed of glacial Lake Agassiz. This is one of the sandhill cranes’ pit stops on their annual spring migration from… -
The Bell Celebrates Global Volunteer Month
Published04/30/2020
Volunteers are critical to all the Bell’s mission to ignite curiosity and wonder, explore our connections to nature and the universe, and create a better future for our evolving world. Our mission depends on dedicated volunteers to engage visitors as docents, gallery cart assistants, and in our astronomy programs. For… -
Reading the Signs from Salamanders
Published , By Eve Daniels
While the “Salamander Capital of the World” isn’t a top roadside attraction, it does tell us a lot more about the past and future of our species than dinosaur sculptures ever will (no offense to Dinny the Dino). Located in the southern Appalachian mountains, this region is a rainbow of… -
Minnesota Skies: May 2020
Published , By Deane Morrison, Thaddeus LaCoursiere & Sarah Komperud
In May we lose the two brightest lights in the evening sky: Venus and Sirius, the brightest of stars. Sirius begins the month very low in the southwest and drops out of sight by mid-month. In the last two weeks of May, most of the other bright winter stars also… -
Congratulations to our Graduates
Published04/28/2020
All the education and outreach that goes on at the museum would not be possible without talented University of Minnesota students—from the Touch & See Lab and exhibit galleries to the ticketing desk, Curiosity Shop, Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Planetarium, scientific collections, and beyond. As the academic year comes to…