RIM LICHENS

Appearance: Pale white-green-yellow with waxy surface. Inner area forms cup-like bodies with yellowish centers.
Found: Forms like a crust on rocks.

photo: PJason Hollinger/WikimediaCC

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS

Appearance: Orange with yellow edge, shelf-like layers.
Found: On decaying stumps and logs or an injured tree in late summer or fall.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT/WikimediaCC

NORTHERN TOOTH

Appearance: Layers of wavy, shelf-like white/yellow caps with hairy surfaces.
Found: High on trunks of living hardwood trees, especially sugar maples.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photo: Joseph O'Brien/USDA FS via bugwood.org

AMERICAN ROBIN

Appearance: Red-orange belly and black-gray top.

Found: Hopping on ground looking for worms to pull up and eat, or perched in trees signing.

photo: Mdf / WikiMedia CC

MALLARD

Male: Green head.
Female: Mottled brown
Found: Swimming in lakes/rivers.

photo: Fcb981 / Wikimedia CC

KILLDEER

Appearance: Long legs, black necklace and red eye.
Found: Flying close to the ground amid dry, gravel fields.
Listen for: Shrill call that sounds like "kill-jer".
Fun Fact: Sometimes pretend to have a broken wing to lure invaders away from its nest.

photo: Rodney Campbell/FlickrCC

AMERICAN TOAD

Color: Brown, olive green, or reddish.

Found: Near water or moist areas.

Toads are amphibians that start life as tadpoles then emerge onto dry land as tiny toadlets about the length of a fingernail.

photo: National Park Service

PAINTED TURTLE

Color: Red-orange bottom shell (appears painted on) and black-olive upper shell. Yellow stripes on neck.
Found: On logs in lakes.

These rather adorable reptiles are docile and have no teeth.

photo: Steven Katovich / Bugwood.org CC

COMMON GARTER SNAKE

Color: Black with 3 yellow lengthwise stripes.

Found: In the brush or sunning themselves on a paved trail.

No need to fear these reptiles who mind their own business.

photo: Christina Butler/Wikimedia CC

JEWELWEED

Blooms: July - September
Found: In thickets along shorelines or wetlands.
Petals: Orange or yellow horn-like shape.
Try: Gently pinch the base of petals and tiny seeds may explode outward!

photo: Blue Ridge Kitties / FlickrCC

COMMON MILKWEED

Blooms: June - August
Commonly Found: Along shores and wood edges.
Petal Color: Pink or white.
Fun Fact: Monarchs lay their eggs soley on milkweed.

photo: USFWS

LEAD PLANT

Blooms: Jun-Aug
Found: In sunny, sandy fields.
Appearance: 1-3 feet tall. Technically a shrub with woody stems to last through winter.

photo: USFWS

MUSKRAT (or its lodge)

Not actually a rat, this creature is a close cousin to beavers, except muskrats' tails look similar to rat tails.
Found: In ponds, marshes and streams.
Lodges (Muskrat homes): Mounds made from mud and vegetation such as cattails and other plants woody materials.

photo: Don Burkett/FlickrCC & Brianne/FlickrCC

FOX SQUIRREL

The largest tree squirrel in MN. Reddish fur on chin, belly, chest and feet. Build leaf nests in summer.

photo: Nancy Jahnel / P&TC photo contest

SNOWSHOE HARE

Very similar to the common cottontail. Has larger feet and black edge around its ears. In winter they turn white.

photo: Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar/FlickrCC

WHITE OAK

Leaf: 5-9 finger-like lobes that can be notched deeply or shallow.
Bark: Pale gray with scaly ridges and shallow fissures.
Acorn: light brown and enclosed in a bowl-shaped cap.

photo: MnDNR

GREEN ASH

Leaves: 7-9 leaflets per stem.
Bark: Dark brown tinged with red; strongly ridged.
Note: An invasive insect known as the emerald ash borer is spreading across the state and killing off many ash trees.

photos: MnDNR

SILVER MAPLE

Leaves: Same shape as all maples (think Canada flag) but very jagged with deep notches.
Bark: Smooth when young, becomes shaggy with age.
Found: In floodplains and can withstand seasonal floods.

photo: MnDNR

ANT

The lowly ant plays an important role in the environment. They aerate the soil, which helps plants grow; they keep things tidy by feeding on organic waste, and dead animals; and some wildflowers (such as trillium, bloodroot and violets) rely on them to transport their seeds.

photo: Galpert / WikiMediaCC

MOSQUITO

Bzzzzz...thwap! Lucky you--you found a mosquito. At least you can check it off the list, even if, like most people, you weren't happy to find it.

photo: James Gathany / Flickr CC

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

Color: Bright orange with black veins.
Found: Flying around wildflowers.
Fun Fact: They fly down to Mexico before winter begins.

photo: Peter Miller / Flickr CC

WHAT OTHER INTERESTING THINGS DID YOU FIND?