By: Carly Lloyd

Woodcock/Scolopax minor  The range is in the north east.  Woodcocks are a Small brown colored bird, they also have long bills.  Reproduction: Woodcocks nest on the ground. In the spring the hatch takes about 20 days. They usually have four babies. Within 25 days they can fly and in 6-8 weeks they are already on their own.  Food: They like to eat earthworms, grubs and insects.  Preditors: foxes, coyotes, northern goshawks, and owels.  Habitat: wooded areas and in the winter they like to fly south.  Their population is decreasing due to a disease called Sarcocystis Spp.  The woodcock hunting season always starts the saterday closest to September 22 and it runs for 45 days. The limit is three bags, six possesions.  Funfacts….their bill is very sensitive to sense the earthworms movement. It is also known as the bogsucker. They have an extreamly long bill.

Male Female

Eastern White Pine/Pinus strobus  Found in the northeastern part of the state.  Description: It has a thin smooth bark. When they are young their color is a light green and as they get older the green gets darker. Its needles are 2 ½-5 inches long, bluish green, and are soft and flexible. The seeds are 4-8 inches long and have gummy scales.  Problems and diseases the eastern white pine has is pine blister rust,pine weevil and browsing deer kill.  Some economical uses we have for it is that it is used to make furniture, construction wood, rosin, pulp and paper.  Funfacts….It is the largest straight stemmed tree. Grows feet tall. Only conifer with 5 needles in a bundle.

Grey squirrel/Sciurus carolinensis  They are all over in Minnesota.  They are grey with a brown or white belie. They are about 20 inches long(encluding tail). They weigh about 1½ pounds.  They mate twice a year, December-February then again in June-August. They have 2-4 babies. At three months the babies are on their own.  They eat acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts and seeds.  Predators of the grey squirrel are cats, hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels, bobcats and some humans like to eat them.  They live in hard wooded areas, parks, and residential areas. They make their homes in trees.  Their population has been increasing in recent years.  There is no specific time to hunt the squirrel but about 150,000 are harvested each year.  Funfacts…can hide 25 nuts in ½ hour. Babies are born hairless. Babies weigh about ½ ounce.

White Sucker/Catostomus commerson  Their range is northeastern Minnesota.  They are a medium sized fish. They have big lips with no teeth. Its green on top and light colored on the bottom.  they spawn in shallow waters during April and May. Usually two males are to one female. During spawning the female will release 100,000 eggs.  They eat plankton when they are young and as they get older they will suck up plants and animals.  White suckers are eaten by walleyes, northern pike and bowfins.  White suckers live in small streams, river and lakes.  Funfacts…while spawning the male grows pearl organs, and Their meat is filled with tiny bones.

Northern water snake/Nerodia  Its found in the mid eastern part of the state.  It is a thick medium length snake with dark splotches and bands. It has a ringed tail.  They are born June-August. Their mother has 5-60 at a time.  They eat frogs, turtles, fish, and other small animals.  They are eaten by birds, raccoons and other snakes.  They live in along the river banks. They winter in rocks with other snakes.  They are not protected in Minnesota.  Fun facts…if you pick it up it will mase on you of throw up on you. Its not venomous. It s saliva contains a substances that inhabits its victims blood from clotting.

Showy Lady Slipper  Can be found all over MN.  It is a bright colored flower that blooms one or two on a single stem. It has white petals and is streaked with pink.  It flowers in early June-mid July. Each year the flower may produce a half million seeds. It can live to be 100 years old.  It lives in swamps wet meadows, wet prairies, and cool, damp woods.  Population is hurt by the wet land drainage, road construction, and illegal picking.  Funfacts…it’s the state flower and It can be green.

Works cited  "Birds of Minnesota: Woodcock: Minnesota DNR." Birds of Minnesota: Woodcock: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct  "DNR - Northern Water Snake (Nerodia Sipedon)." DNR - Northern Water Snake (Nerodia Sipedon). N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct  "Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus)." Eastern White Pine: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct  "Fishes of Minnesota: White Sucker: Minnesota DNR." Fishes of Minnesota: White Sucker: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct  "Mammals of Minnesota: Gray Squirrel: Minnesota DNR." Mammals of Minnesota: Gray Squirrel: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct  "Showy Lady's Slipper: Nature Snapshots from Minnesota DNR: Minnesota DNR." Showy Lady's Slipper: Nature Snapshots from Minnesota DNR: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct  "White Pine Planting and Care." - Tree Care: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct