Environment

Minnesotans are growing more pollinator gardens, with native plants chosen because their flowers attract bees and butterflies to the yard. But to really help pollinating insects, those gardens need thought and care all year long, including during fall clean-up.

There are about 6 million acres of peatlands in Minnesota -- nearly 10% of our state. And it turns out, peat bogs have climate change fighting superpowers.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is about to restart a study charting the future of the Mississippi River gorge between Minneapolis and St. Paul, after barge traffic on that stretch of the river ended in 2015.

The unusually low water level in the lower Mississippi River is causing barges to get stuck in the mud and sand. That's disrupting river travel for shippers, recreational boaters and even passengers on a cruise line.

Fat Bear Week is officially back. This year's chunks include defending champ Otis — and a mother bear named Holly, known for adopting orphaned cubs.

The Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle is considered endangered. The zoo is the first accredited organization in North America to hatch and raise the species that's native to South Asia.

The Nord Stream pipeline leak might be the single largest release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Experts say it pales in comparison to ongoing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.

Carbon dioxide gets most of the climate change headlines but methane has 82 times more warming potential than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timespan. And looking at the way we produce and consume food is critical to stabilizing earth’s climate because agriculture is the largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions.

The case highlights concern over the environmental impacts of drain tiles and ditches used to drain excess water off farm fields.

Researchers say diseases that spread between humans and animals will become increasingly commonplace as human expansion into previously uninhabited areas intensifies.