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

Scavenger Hunt at Beaver Creek Valley 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

Leaves: 3-6" long and shiny green.
Bark: Grayish-brown to black, fibrous, deeply furrowed.
Found: In moist areas along streams, lakes, swamps.

photos: MnDNR

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BLACK WILLOW

Tree - Black Willow

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

2 / 20

EASTERN COTTONWOOD

Tree - Eastern Cottonwood

Leaf: Oval with double-edged teeth. Feel rough when rubbed.
Bark: Long trunk that's ashy gray with many furrows/ridges that get deeper with age.
Note: Dutch elm disease killed off many of these trees across the Eastern U.S. in the 1970s and today prevents many from reaching full age.

photos: MnDNR

3 / 20

AMERICAN ELM

Tree - American Elm
Banner reads: Wildflowers

Blooms: May - July
Found: Sunny fields in SE MN
Petal: White
Becomes shrub-like with age. State Special Concern species due to habitat loss.

photos: David Benda/USFS; Joshua Mayer/FlickrCC

4 / 20

WHITE INDIGO

Dainty white flowers on long stalk

Blooms June - Sept. Found in sunny fields. Pink, shaggy petals. Butterflies drink its nectar.

photo: Joshua Mayer/FlickrCC

5 / 20

WILD BERGAMOT

Wild Bergamot

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

6 / 20

SWAMP MILKWEED

Flower - Swamp Milkweed
Banner reads: Arthropods

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

7 / 20

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

Monarch butterfly on a pink flower

Found: Near tall grasses in late summer and fall.
Fun Fact: They are jumping phenoms, leaping 20 times their body length, which equates to a human jumping 120 feet.

photo: Will Brown / WikiMedia CC

8 / 20

GRASSHOPPER

Grasshopper in studio setting

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

Male: All black with red/yellow patch on wings.
Female: Brown/white stripes/patches.
Found: Perching on reeds near water edge.

photos: Akiroq / Pixabay; Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren / WikiMedia CC

10 / 20

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

Appearance: Yellow all over with brownish stripes on chest.
Found: In shrubby areas near water.
Listen: Males make a sweet whistle song from perches.

photo: Jon Wood / P&TC photo contest

11 / 20

YELLOW WARBLER

yellow bird

Appearance: Males have colorful plumage and a long, patterned tail. Females have brown plumage with black markings and slightly shorter tails.
Found: In tall vegetation and along dirt roads. Keep an ear out for the male's birdcall or their wing-flapping displays.
Fun Fact: Pheasants eat pebbles to help them digest their food.

photos: Patrick Randall / Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

12 / 20

 

RING-NECKED PHEASANT

Banner reads: Mushrooms and Lichen

Blooms: June - September
Found: In shady forests under pine needles.
Petals: Ghostly white.
Fun Fact: Technically, this is a flower, but it doesn't need the sun to grow and relies on underground fungi.

photo: Checkermallow / FlickrCC

13 / 20

GHOST PIPES

Flower - Ghost Pipe

Appearance: Semi-circle with brown top and pure white underside.
Found: On tree trunks of hardwood trees and some conifers.
CAUTION: Never eat any mushroom unless knowledgeable.

photos: Cyndy Sims Parr/FlickrCC
George Chernilevsky/Public domain

14 / 20

ARTIST'S CONK

mushroom
Banner reads: Human Made

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

15 / 20

TREE CAVITY
(possible animal den)

Raccoon in a tree hole

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

16 / 20

ANIMAL FOOTPRINTS

Deer hoof print in dirt

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

17 / 20

MUSKRAT LODGE

Muskrat swimming in lake plus inset of its home, a mound of cattails
Banner reads: Amphibians and reptiles

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

18 / 20

AMERICAN TOAD

Toad

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

19 / 20

TREEFROG (GRAY OR COPE'S GRAY)

Treefrog

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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.

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