Biodiversity In Minnesota By: Tyler Halvorson

Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Description- Length: 19 to 26 inches. Weight: 2 to 4 pounds. Color: Usually brown with black and white streaks. Reddish tail. Sound: High-pitched screams. Reporduction-The Red-tailed Hawk reaches sexual maturity at two years of age. It is monogamous, mating with the same individual for many years. In general, the Red-tailed Hawk will only take a new mate when its original mate dies. Food- Mice, rabbits, snakes, birds, and insects Predators- Great-horned owls and crows may raid nests and take young. Red-tailed hawks are sometimes killed by illegal shooting and trapping, and by collisions with cars Habitat- Swamps, woodlands, and prairies. Red-tailed hawks are found throughout Minnesota. In the fall, they begin to migrate to southern states. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/redtailedhawk.html

Population-With rodent populations high, the red-tailed hawk is thriving across Minnesota. Hawks are not game animals, so they can't be hunted. Anyone killing a red-tailed hawk is subject to a large fine. Diseases- Fun Facts-The red-tailed hawk has a sharp, curved beak that's used to tear its prey into pieces for eating. The bird has great eyesight, which helps it see prey on the ground while its flying high overhead. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Red-tailed_Hawk_Buteo_jamaicensis_Full_Body_1880px.jpg/220px-Red-tailed_Hawk_Buteo_jamaicensis_Full_Body_1880px.jpg http://www.naturefocused.com/archives/red-tailed-hawk/dominant.jpg

Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) General description- This distinctively marked snake is covered with blotches that range from reddish-brown to grayish-brown. The blotches are outlined with black. Reproduction- Milk snakes mate in spring or early summer. The female lays 8 to 12 eggs, which hatch in 6 to 9 weeks. The newly hatched young are 6 to 10 inches long. Food- Milk snakes eat a wide variety of food: rodents, birds, eggs, and lizards. They eat other snakes, including poisonous ones. They suffocate their prey by squeezing it, then swallow it whole. Predators- Coyotes, skunks, raccoons, foxes and birds of prey all will eat milk snakes.\ Habitat- Milk snakes are found near forests in open land. They often hide around barns and other buildings where mice and other prey are found. They are very elusive. In the spring and fall they are active in the day, but in the summer they do most of their traveling at night. Population- Milk snakes have no special status in Minnesota Fun Facts- The milk snake earned its name through folk legend. People thought it sucked milk from cows. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/snakes_turtles/milksnake.html

http://www.sinaloanmilksnake.com/images/sinaloan-milk-snake.jpg http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/4201/PreviewComp/SuperStock_4201-73602.jpg

Fisher (Martes pennanti) http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/fisher.html Fisher (Martes pennanti) General description - The fisher is a medium-sized long-shaped predator that belongs to the weasel family. Female adults weigh 6 to 8 pounds, and males weigh up to 18 pounds. Reproduction - Like most members of the weasel family, female fishers have what is called "delayed implantation." Females get pregnant in spring, just 10 days after they have given birth. For the next several months, the young exist as tiny embryos. Then, two months before being born, the embryos develop into fetuses. One to five young fisher are born in a hollow tree, log or rock cavity. Within days after giving birth, the female will seek out a new mate. Young fishers stay with their mothers for just a few months. The young leave the female in early fall to find their own home territory. Food- Fishers kill and eat mice, chipmunks, squirrels, snowshoe hares, and even deer fawns. They also eat almost any carrion as well as berries and nuts. Predators- Few animals can take on a fisher. Because bobcats and fishers compete for the same food and habitat, bobcats occasionally kill young and adult fishers. Habitat- Fishers live in a variety of young and old forest types in northern Minnesota. Sometimes they are found in western prairie areas and southeastern river valleys. They are solitary, except during the breeding season and when the young are with the female. Fishers range over 7 to 10 square miles, traveling at any time of day or night.

Population/ Hunting Season- Fishers were nearly extinct in Minnesota by the early 1900s. But the population has grown steadily since then. Since the late 1970s, the population has remained at more than 10,000, enough to support a regulated trapping harvest of about 2,000 each year. Fun Facts- The fisher hunts in trees. Female fishers are pregnant for 350 days of each year. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachments/my-daily-snapshot/584205d1332456281-fisher-cat-k640_023.jpg http://www.troop399nbny.org/fishercat.jpg

Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) General description- A small fish that is usually yellow on the sides with wide dark bands coming down the sides from its back. Length: Average length is about 6 inches but some reach a foot or more. Weight: Average about 1/3 pound. Color: Yellow with dark bars. Reproduction- Yellow perch spawn in early May in southern Minnesota and in mid-May in northern lakes.The eggs hatch after two or three weeks. The newborns (fry) eat plankton and water fleas and are eaten by many newly hatched predator fish such as walleyes and burbot. Food- Perch eat minnows and the young of other small fish. They also eat insects such as mayflies. Predator- Many larger predatory fish will eat perch. Habitat- Lakes, slow-moving rivers, reservoirs, and ponds. The perch is found in these types of waters throughout Minnesota. Population/Hunting- Minnesota is loaded with perch. But on many lakes, the average size of perch is decreasing because of overfishing. In the past, there was no limit on the number of perch you could catch and keep. But in recent years the limit has been lowered. The DNR hopes to increase the average size of perch by decreasing the number of perch killed by anglers.

Fun Facts- Basically a miniature walleye, the perch is a great food fish. The fish is especially popular with out-of-state anglers such as those from North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, where perch are a highly desirable fish. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/YellowPerch.jpg/250px-YellowPerch.jpg

Downy Paintbrush (Castilleja sessiliflora) Gray-green, leafy plant up to a foot tall. Flowers are yellowish, large, densely clustered, and surrounded by greenish bracts and leaves at the top of the plant. Partially parasitic on roots of plants in the Aster Family. Blooms in June. Dry prairies. http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/images/dowpaint.jpg

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Form-Height 80' or more with a diameter of up to 24" or more; symmetrically rounded crown. Bark- On young trees light gray to brown and somewhat smooth; on older trees gray to almost black with irregular plates or scales. Twigs are smooth and reddish-brown with sharp-pointed winter buds. Leaf- Simple, opposite on stem, length 3" to 5"; three- to five-pointed, smooth-edged lobes; division between lobes rounded; dark green on upper surface, lighter green below; in autumn turns to brilliant shades of dark red, scarlet, orange, or yellow. Fruit (seed)-Consists of two slightly connected wings (samaras), each containing one seed; length about 1"; easily carried by the wind. Range- Grows in cool, rich locations in the eastern half of the state; very shade-tolerant, slow-growing.

http://upload. wikimedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Acer_saccharum.PNG/220px-Acer_saccharum.PNG http://www.syracuse.ny.us/parks/images/sugarMaple.jpg