If you have an ash tree in your yard now is the perfect time to trim it up or take it down.

The emerald ash borer, a beetle that attacks and kills ash trees, is hibernating until spring.

The beetle is inactive between Labor Day and May 1st most years, but since this year has been unusually warm, it was active through September.

If you're planting new trees in the late summer and fall, Minnetonka officials say you need to act now to prevent any damage from deer.

Trees should be protected with hardware cloth, welded wire or a plastic guard from mid-August through April.

The deer like to rub their antlers on the stems of deciduous trees and can shred the tree trunk, killing the tissue under the bark.

While waiting for the snow to melt, the first butterfly of spring will be a welcome sight.

According to Arboretum Naturalist Matt Schuth, the 'Mourning Cloak' is the first butterfly expected to emerge come spring.

You can identify a 'Mourning Cloak' by its black wings with a cream yellow border.