Leaf: 7-11 lobes with pointed tips.
Bark: Young trees are smooth but as it ages, become rough with thin cracks.
Fruit: Acorns that feed wildlife.

photos: S. Seiberling / UNC Herbarium; MnDNR

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

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 - July
Found: On cliffs and forest edges.
Petals: Red/pink with club-like petals.
Fun Fact: Hummingbirds drink nectar from this flower.

photo: Jelieta Walinski/P&TC photo contest

Blooms: June - September
Found: In sunny wet fields or swamps along the shore.
Petals: Cluster of pink flowers on tall stalk.

photos: Linda Flickinger / P&TC photo contest

Blooms: June - August
Found: Wood edges and along lakeshores.
Petals: A spike of pink flowers.
Fun Fact: Famous for being one of the first flowers to appear after a wildfire.

photo: George Chernilevsky / Wikimedia CC

This water beetle is usually found swimming on the surface of a lake or pond where they swim wildly in circles. This movement makes small waves, which may help them find insects to eat via echolocation.

Udo Schmidt from Deutschland, CC via Wikimedia Commons & Under the same moon via Flickr 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

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

Appearance: Chicken-like bird with squared tail.
Found: In deep woods.
Listen for: Beats its wings to make a very loud, deep, thumping sound that builds to crescendo.

photo: Alain Audet / Pixabay

Appearance: Large black bird with snake-like neck. Male and female look alike.
Found:  Roost in large groups in trees near water
Listen for: Call sounds like an oinking pig.

photo: Frank Schulenburg / WikiMedia CC

Appearance: All white with black bill. Males and females look alike.
Found: In lakes and rivers.
Nearly wiped out due to overhunting a century ago, but MnDNR reintroduced swans in the 1980s and now they are thriving here.

photo: Jason / P&TC photo contest

It forms like a crust on rocks.
Appearance: Pale white-green-yellow with a waxy surface. The inner area forms cup-like bodies with yellowish centers.

photo: PJason Hollinger/WikimediaCC

Appearance: Bright orange-red like a cooked lobster

Found: Early summer to late fall after rain on the forest floor.

Fun fact: This is actually a parasitic fungus that grows on another mushroom (usually milkcap mushrooms) and turns red.

CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photo (combined): © Erlon Bailey CC BY-SA & Jason Hollinger CC-BY

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

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

Everybody poops, and sometimes we're lucky enough to find proof on the trail. Rabbit and deer (photo) poop/scat are like rounded pellets. Carnivores often have fur in their droppings.

photo: Kevin Casper / CC0 public domain

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

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