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

Needles: Sharp and short.
Bark: Dark gray or grayish brown and scaly.
Found: In moist soils and swamps.

photo: MnDNR

Leaf: oval to triangular shaped with jagged teeth.
Bark: Thin, papery; becomes pure white with age, marked by black pores; peels off into thin sheets.
Fun Fact: Bark historically used to make canoes and wigwams by Ojibwe peoples.

photos: MnDNR

Blooms: June - July
Found: In moist prairies.
Petals: Inflated "slipper" is 1-2 inches long. The official state flower of Minnesota.

photos: Janice Huss / P&TC photo contest

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: Floating in slow-moving water where it forms dense colonies.
Petals: White petals swirls around yellow stamens.

photo: Jacek Halicki / Wikimedia

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

Bzzzzz...thwap! Lucky you--you found a mosquito. At least you can check it off the list, even if, like most people, you weren't happy to find it.

photo: James Gathany / Flickr CC

Often invisible until the sun hits it just right. Spiders create these fantastic contraptions to catch prey. The silk is made in glands on the spider's abdomen. Many spiders will eat their own web each day and rebuild a new one the next day.

photo: Aaron Kostko/P&TC Photo Contest

Appearance: White head that turns white by age 4-5.
Found: Soaring high overhead or perched near top of white pine trees near water.
Fact: A conservation success story--nearing extinction by the 1970s, it rebounded after a ban on DDT pesticides.

Top-heavy bird that flies quickly over water where it spends most of its time. Makes a piercing rattle sound. Males and females similar.

photo: Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast / WikiMedia CC

Appearance: Yellow underside with a bold black necklace.
Found: Perched on posts singing loudly.

photo: John Carrel/FlickrCC

Appearance: Yellow cap with white specks.
Found: On the ground under conifers, aspen, or birch.
Fun Fact: Appears in many fairytales.
CAUTION: Never eat mushrooms unless knowledgeable.

photo: Steve Young/P&TC

Appearance:  Looks like a cat's dropping attached to a twig.
Found: On cherry and plum trees.
Note: While this fungus isn't good for the tree, many live fine with it.

photo: Sasata/Wikimedia CC

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

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

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

Color: Bright green with spots that look like a leopard.
Found: In wet meadows and fields near wetlands or lakeshores.
Listen for: Long, deep snore lasting several seconds and ending with "chuck-chuck-chuck"

photo: Ryan Hodnett / Wikimedia CC