Native yellow sunflowers in a field
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Graphical banner reads: Scavenger Hunt 2023

Scavenger Hunt at Bear Head Lake

Welcome! You are tasked with finding "items" from these categories:

  • Trees
  • Wildflowers
  • Arthropods
  • Birds
  • Mushrooms & Lichens
  • Signs of wildlife
  • Amphibians & Reptiles

Whether you find just one or all of them, you can enter the weekly drawing for a $25 gift card to Minnesota State Parks by filling out the form at the end of the hunt. Winners are selected each week among ALL participating parks and trails.

Happy scavenging!

 

 

Note: The icon below shows # of entries at this park for this year.
Banner reads: trees

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

photo: MnDNR

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RED PINE

Tree - Red Pine

Needles: Flat and scale-like and have aromatic scent.
Bark: Gray to reddish brown, separating in long, vertical shreddy strips.
Found: In moist, rocky places.

photo: MnDNR

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WHITE CEDAR

Tree - White Cedar

Needles: pretty short, about 1-2" long and grow in clusters of two.
Bark: Dull red-brown; irregularly divided into small scales.
Pinecones: Small cones are serotinous, meaning they rely on fire to open and release their seeds.

photos: MnDNR

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JACK PINE

Tree - Jack Pine
Banner reads: Wildflowers

Blooms: May - July
Found: In shade of moist woods and bogs.
Petals: Four white petals.
Leaves: Whirl of smooth, pointed egg-shape. Easy to spot even after the petals are gone.

photo: Lisa Filter / P&TC

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BUNCHBERRY

Flower - Bunchberry

Blooms: May - August
Found: In part shade to sun in wet meadows.
Petals: Typical iris shape, 3 to 4 inches across, blue to blue-violet, sometimes red-purple and rarely pale blue.

photo: Jennifer Quam / P&TC photo contest

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BLUE FLAG IRIS

Flower - BlueFlagIris

Blooms: May - July
Found: In moist fields and along shores.
Petals: White petals sit atop a long-stem.
Leaves: Large and jagged.

photo: USFS

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CANADA ANEMONE

Flower - Canada Anemone
Banner reads: Arthropods

MN is home to a few native crayfish, plus an invasive one. They all look like baby lobsters that reach 2-5 inches long.
Found: In streams and rivers with rocky bottoms and logs to hide under.
Fun Fact: While humans have 46 chromosomes, crayfish have 200. This allows them to self-amputate limbs if caught and then re-grow them.

ALAN SCHMIERER, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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CRAYFISH / CRAWDAD

Crayfish on rocks

Appearance: 140 species in MN come in a rainbow of colors.
Dragonfly: Bigger and keep wings spread out when resting.
Damselfly: Smaller and close their wings when resting.
Fun Fact: They can fly upside down, backward, and turn 360° on a dime.

photos: John Wright / Flickr CC; Jim Johnson / iNaturalist CC; Wayne Fidler / iNaturalist CC

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DRAGONFLIES / DAMSELFLIES

Three photos showing different species of dragonfly

Size & Shape: Tiny (~1" long). Shells are swirls or cones. 
Found: Around logs, hollow trees, and rocks in wooded areas.
Key Role: They eat decaying plants, which helps to enrich the soil.

photo: Scott King / iNaturalist CC

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LAND SNAIL

snail
Banner reads: Birds

Appearance: All-black bird with a loud call.
Found: Around open areas near patches of woods.
Fun Fact: They are one of the most intelligent birds and live up to 20 years in large, extended families.

photo: Dick Daniels/Carolina Birds

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AMERICAN CROW

Appearance: Large bird with long legs, neck, and bill.
Found: Wading along shorelines or flying low over water.

photo: Alpinekid / Wikimedia CC

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GREAT BLUE HERON

Tall gray bird with sharp yellow bill

Appearance: Black and white with red eye.
Found: Swimming in lakes close to shore.
Listen for: Wailing tremolo call and short hoots.

photo: Will Stenberg/P&TC Photo Contest

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COMMON LOON

Adult loon swimming with baby loon
Banner reads: Mushrooms and Lichen

Appearance:  Looks like a pale green beard hanging from twigs.
Found: In coniferous and mixed hardwood forests.

photo: Plant Image Library / FlickrCC

13 / 20

BRISTLY BEARD LICHEN

bristly lichen

Appearance:  Looks like a leaf of lettuce glued to a tree. It's pale yellow-green with wrinkly, wavy lobes.
Found: On the trunk of broad leafed trees such as maples, oaks, etc. and shrubs.
Fun Fact: Some people use it to dye wool.

photo: Björn S.../WikimediaCC

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COMMON GREENSHIELD LICHEN

Green lichen
Banner reads: Human Made

Lodges (Beaver homes): Look in shallow water for mounds of sticks. Beavers made these by chewing, carrying, and placing each stick in place with mud. The entrance is underwater.
Chew Marks: Beavers gnaw on trees to fell them and use them in building dams. The marks are unique to beavers and one of the best signs of beaver presence.

[photos: Kyle T. Ford/P&TC photo contest; Keith William/FlickrCC]

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BEAVER LODGE OR CHEW MARKS

compilation photo of beaver, lodge and chew marks

Squirrels love to eat pinecone seeds. You may come across a pinecone cob and scales in a pile called middens that the squirrel left behind. Some middens get a few feet deep under a squirrel's favorite lunch spot.

photo: Lorianne DiSabato / Flickr CC

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SQUIRREL MIDDENS

Deer hooves (photo) are commonly seen on or near trails. Their hooves make two side-by-side teardrop tracks. Other common prints are from raccoons, rabbits, opossums, and coyotes.

photo: QS Wiki Account, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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ANIMAL FOOTPRINTS

Deer hoof print in dirt
Banner reads: Amphibians and reptiles

There are about 130 species of fishes found naturally in Minnesota. The most common ones to swim near shore and under docks are sunfish (photo). Seeing any fish will earn you points for this item.

photo: Joe Mabel, CC via Wikimedia

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FISH

Sunfish swimming in rocky bottom lake

Snapping turtles are Minnesota’s largest turtle species and weigh up to 45 pounds. They're graceful swimmers who spend most of their time in the water, swimming along the surface. Once overharvested and on the endangered species list from 1984-2013, they have now rebounded. They are docile and avoid humans but will defend themselves if threatened.

photo: USFWS Midwest Region/public domain

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SNAPPING TURTLE

Snapping turtle swimming in a lake

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WHAT OTHER INTERESTING THINGS DID YOU FIND?

Fill in the following information to be entered in our weekly drawing for a $25 gift card to Minnesota State Parks, which will be mailed to the winner. Weekly winners are randomly selected from entries to ALL participating parks and trails—only one entry per park each summer. However, you are welcome to participate and enter the drawing at multiple parks' this summer.

Please note: For anyone age 12 and under, please enter adult companion's info.

Your score is