Needles: Short, soft. Unlike most conifers, the needles fall off in autumn.
Bark: Rough with thin, reddish brown scales. Twigs are light brown and covered with numerous tiny spurs or short branches.

photo: MnDNR

Needles: Short, needle-like, bluish green, swirl
Bark: Grayish to reddish-brown, scaly.
Pinecone: Smallest of all the spruces.
Found: In bogs and marshes and can handle the acidic soil. It has very and grows slowly.

photos: MnDNR

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

Blooms: May - August
Found: In bogs.
Petals: "Nodding" purple flowers rising on long stem.
Leaves: Form a "pitcher" that collects rainwater and traps insects for this carnivorous plant.

photos: ASWanderer / Wikimedia CC; Lisa Filter / P&TC

Blooms: May - July
Found: In moist woods, bogs and swamps.
Petals: Yellow, slipper shaped

photo: Steve Simmer / P&TC photo contest

Blooms: May - June
Found: In bogs
Leaves: Curled, long and skinny with wooly brown hair underneath. Leaves can be steeped in hot water to make tea, but shouldn't be harvested from within the park.

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

There are many types of caterpillars roaming around in Minnesota parks. They may be fuzzy, stripy, or plain, and each will transform into a moth or butterfly. The ones here are the Tussock Moth (top left), the Woolybear (bottom left), and the Monarch, which can be found on milkweed plants.

photo: Lisa Filter/P&TC; 1sock / FlickrCC; Maria L. Evans / Wikimedia CC

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

Appearance: Back cap and chin.
Found: Year-round residents of MN forests and common visitor to bird-feeders.
Fun Fact: A friendly bird that has been known to eat seeds from human hands.

photo: Minette Layne / Wikimedia Commons

Appearance: Red-orange belly and chest with gray wings.
Found: Hopping head-first down tree trunks and flitting about the forest.

photo: Blalonde, Wikimedia CC

Appearance: White with gray wings, yellow bill with black ring.
Found: In lakes, ponds, streams and parking lots.

photo: Mdf / Wikimedia CC

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

photo: Plant Image Library / FlickrCC

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

Many animals, such as squirrels, raccoons, owls, bats, weasels, porcupines, songbirds, and others, make their homes inside tree holes. The holes can occur from tree decay or broken branches, or else with the help of woodpeckers. While it's rare to see the occupant, let's assume it's a home for someone.

photo: Lorianne DiSabato / Flickr CC

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

Muskrats are close cousins to beavers.
Found: In ponds, marshes, and streams.
Lodges (Muskrat homes): Mounds made from mud and vegetation such as cattails and other woody plants.

photo: Don Burkett/FlickrCC & Brianne/FlickrCC

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

There are two tree frog species in MN, which look similar. Both are about 1 inch. They change colors in seconds to match their surroundings, varying from greens to grays.

photo: Richard Crook / Flickr cc & Fredlyfish4, CC 4.0 via Wikimedia