All Posts
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International Day for Biological Diversity
Published05/18/2020 , By Adam Hartman & Heather Cummins
As we kick off the first day of the week leading up to the International Day for Biological Diversity on Friday, let’s take a look at what it is and why it matters. The short version is that it’s a day the United Nations declared for increasing understanding and awareness… -
#museumathome with Animal Crossing
Published05/17/2020
We’re talking about Animal Crossing: New Horizons across our social media platforms today. Want to know more about the game and why museum folks—including our staff members—play? Jenny Stampe, associate director of public education and science learning, has some questions for her colleagues who play the game. -
Diorama Spotlight: Beavers at Lake Itasca
Published05/14/2020 , By Amber Kastner, public science events manager
Completed in 1919, the Beavers at Lake Itasca diorama is the oldest in the current Bell Museum. After beginning its history in the Zoology building at the University of Minnesota, it was moved in 1940 to the former Bell Museum on Church Street before being transferred once more to its… -
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…