
Blue Mounds State Park
Spotted these beautiful black-eyed susans along a hiking trail. By James Eklund

Minneopa State Park
Hoar frost forming on the brush created by the spray of the falls on a cold winter morning. By wally stadick

Minneopa State Park
A view of the Upper and Lower Falls at Minneopa State Park, Mankato, Minnesota. By Sheila Skogen

Minneopa State Park
Our first trip to Minneopa State Park did not disappoint. Upper Falls. By Sheila Skogen

Minneopa State Park
Our first trip to Minneopa State Park did not disappoint. Upper and lower falls. By Sheila Skogen

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
Perhaps not so much changed in this place of long settlement. By David Erpestad

Minneopa State Park
This monarch displays a Monarch Watch identification tag it received as part of a citizen science monarch tagging day at Minneopa State Park. Tagging the butterflies aids in their conservation by allowing researchers to understand the monarchs’ migration pathways, their survival rates during migration, the influence of weather on their migration, and some of the factors leading to their population decline over the years. By Maranda Miller

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
An atmospheric woodland in late spring. The year's first round of mosquitoes were ferocious. By Mick Rollins

Glacial Lakes State Park
A very windy day on the rolling prairie. Oak trees had their leaves flipped over exposing their silver undersides, and the grass rippled like water. The expected thunderstorms were a near miss but the fast moving clouds made for a dynamic sky. By Mick Rollins

Flandrau State Park
I was furloughed during the state shut down. Spent a lot of timing going for walks with my camera. Came upon these painted turtles hanging out in the backwaters of the Cottonwood River. When I got home I thought a good story for the picture was these turtles didn't get the memo on social distancing. By Melissa Arndt

Minneopa State Park
On this wintry afternoon, Minneopa Falls’ spray clung to the sandstone walls in a beautiful frosty display. By Maranda Miller

Minneopa State Park
A lone bison wanders through a good old-fashioned southern Minnesota snowstorm. By Maranda Miller

Minneopa State Park
The bison peered curiously through the rain at me, as I balanced my umbrella and my camera to capture this shot on a rainy spring day at Minneopa State Park. By Maranda Miller

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
A bright spring day during a dark Covid time. The beauty of a good hike while people were just learning to get on their feet again. By Rachel Oas

Blue Mounds State Park
With just a hint of soil, beautiful things can sprout from the rose quartzite rock. By Linsey Duffy

Blue Mounds State Park
The moody May sky seemed the perfect background for this lone tree atop the mound. By Linsey Duffy

Blue Mounds State Park
The morning had just warmed up enough to draw the eastern tent moth caterpillars from their wild plum tree shelter. By Linsey Duffy

Blue Mounds State Park
I was in the park the weekend of Thanksgiving and was struck by the contrast of seeing empty tipi poles as I was on my way to celebrate a feast. By Linsey Duffy