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

Scavenger Hunt at Glacial Lakes State Park

Please note: The official 2023 season is finished. There are no more weekly drawings. However, you are still welcome to enjoy the hunts.

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

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

Happy scavenging!

 

 

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

Leaf: 7-9 rounded lobes with deep and shallow notches. Tips large and wavy.
Fruit: Acorn with fringe around cup. These feed many wildlife.
Tree Form: Relatively short trunk with heavy, sprawling branches

photos: MnDNR

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BUR OAK

Tree - Bur Oak

Leaf: Heart-shaped with jagged teeth. Bees love to make honey from basswood flowers.
Bark: Smooth grayish red when young. Grayish brown with shallow, narrow ridges.
Fruit: Small nutlet under leafy bract.

photos: MnDNR; University of NE-Lincoln

2 / 20

BASSWOOD (LINDEN)

Basswood leaf, tree trunk and fruit

Leaves: Triangular.
Bark: Light gray on young trees and dark gray and rough on older trees.
Fruit: Fluffy, cottony catkins that disperse in wind in May - June.

photos: MnDNR

3 / 20

EASTERN COTTONWOOD

Tree - Eastern Cottonwood
Banner reads: Wildflowers

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

photo: USFWS

4 / 20

COMMON MILKWEED

flower with big green leaves and pink petals

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

photo: USFS

5 / 20

CANADA ANEMONE

Flower - Canada Anemone

Blooms: July - September
Found: In prairies, open woods, along roads.
Petals: Feathery pink flowers with grasslike leaves grow in clumps in prairies.

photo: Angela C / Pixabay

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BLAZING STAR

pink flowers
Banner reads: Arthropods

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

7 / 20

CICADA

Cicada

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

8 / 20

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

9 / 20

DRAGONFLIES / DAMSELFLIES

Three photos showing different species of dragonfly
Banner reads: Birds

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

10 / 20

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE

small bird with black head

Appearance: Brilliant yellow with black wings and cap.
Found: In areas with thistle plants and usually in small flocks.

photo: Mdf / WikiMedia CC

11 / 20

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH

American Goldfinch

Appearance: Yellow head with black and white mottled bodies. Males have bolder colors than females.
Found: Active high in conifer trees where they sing on perches.

photo: Dan Pancamo, / Wikimedia CC

12 / 20

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER

Black-Throated Warbler
Banner reads: Mushrooms and Lichen

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

13 / 20

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS

Orange, layered mushroom

Appearance: Many-branched, coral-like mushroom; yellowish tan with crownlike tips.
Found: On old logs on the forest floor in June–September.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photo: Kate Stephany / P&TC photo contest

14 / 20

CROWN-TIPPED CORAL MUSHROOM

Banner reads: Human Made

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

15 / 20

MUSKRAT LODGE

Muskrat swimming in lake plus inset of its home, a mound of cattails

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

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

17 / 20

TREE CAVITY
(possible animal den)

Raccoon in a tree hole
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