SPLIT GILL

Appearance: Clusters of white, fan-shaped caps with fuzzy tops and gills under.
Found: On stumps, logs, and sticks of dead hardwood, especially oak.
Fun Fact: One of the most common mushrooms on the planet.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photo: Mark Lingl/P&TC Contest

LIPSTICK POWDERHORN LICHEN

Appearance: Red tips on a green stalk that are about 1 inch tall.
Found: On dead wood and often at the bases of trees.

photo: bjoerns/WikimediaCC

ARTIST'S CONK

Appearance: Semi-circle with brown top and pure white underside.
Found: On tree trunks of hardwood trees and some conifers.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photos: Cyndy Sims Parr/FlickrCC
George Chernilevsky/Public domain

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

BALD EAGLE

Appearance: White head that turns white by age 4-5.
Found: Soaring high overhead or perched near top of white pine trees near water.
Fact: A conservation success story--nearing extinction by the 1970s, it rebounded after a ban on DDT pesticides.

HOODED MERGANSER

Appearance: Striking water bird. Females have a reddish crest that looks like hair on neck. Males have black and white crest that is sometimes raised, sometimes down.
Found: Swimming in the water.

photo: Judy Gallagher/FlickrCC

AMERICAN TOAD

Color: Brown, olive green, or reddish.
Found: Near water or moist areas.
Toads are amphibians that start life as tadpoles and 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

NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG

Color: Bright green with spots that look like a leopard.
Found: In wet meadows and fields near wetlands or lakeshores.
Listen for: Long, deep snore lasting several seconds and ending with "chuck-chuck-chuck"

photo: Ryan Hodnett / 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

GIANT SUNFLOWER

Blooms: July - September
Found: In sunny wet woods and marshes.
Height: A giant flower that can reach 10 feet tall.
Note: MN has 9 types of native sunflowers.

photo: Dan Mullen / Flickr CC

SELF-HEAL

Blooms: June - October
Found: Tiny flower mixed in with lawn grass.
Petals: Tiny, purple.
Fun Fact: It's beneficial for bees and butterflies.

photos: Pixabay

BAT

A mammal that flies! Look for them in the sky at dusk as they swoop and dart to snatch up insects. MN is home to 7 bat species. Some hibernate in caves in winter while others migrate south.

[photo: Richard Hurd/FlickrCC]

CHIPMUNK

They are very active and inquisitive and find a home in hollow logs, tree cavities, or underground dens where they store piles of food.

photo: AndiW / WikiMedia CC

RED SQUIRREL

A cute little critter with a loud bark/chatter. The white ring around its eye only adds to the cuteness.

photo: Pixabay

RED PINE

Needles: 4-6" long and bound into clusters of two with sharp tips.
Bark: Red and cracked into plates.

photo: MnDNR

WHITE PINE

Needles: Clusters of five wispy needles (memory device: 5 needles for the 5 letters in WHITE).
Bark: Smooth and green-gray when young; furrowed and gray-brown when older.
Fun Fact: A favorite for bald eagles to nest.

photo: MnDNR

QUAKING ASPEN

Leaf: Rounded with saw-tooth edge. Leafstalk is flattened, which allow it to "quake" in the breeze.
Try: If you find a leaf try rolling it by its stem with your fingers to feel the way it moves.
Bark: Greenish-white and smooth upper with black splotches. Base is grayish and furrowed.

photos: 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

CICADA

Appearance: One of the largest insects in MN with lacy wings.
Molted Shells: As they grow, they leave behind hollow shells attached to tree trunks.
Fun Fact: Their humming can be louder than a lawn mower and is mostly heard in the afternoon. They do not bite and are gentle bugs.

photo: piqsels.com & Ryan Hodnett/WikiMedia 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?