Bio Diversity in Minnesota

1. By: Carly Lloyd Bio Diversity in Minnesota

2. 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.

3. Male Female

4. Eastern White Pine/Pinusstrobus • 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 50-100 feet tall. Only conifer with 5 needles in a bundle.

6. Grey squirrel/Sciuruscarolinensis • 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.

8. White Sucker/Catostomuscommerson • 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.

10. 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.

12. 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.

14. Works cited • "Birds of Minnesota: Woodcock: Minnesota DNR." Birds of Minnesota: Woodcock: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/woodcock.html>. • "DNR - Northern Water Snake (NerodiaSipedon)." DNR - Northern Water Snake (NerodiaSipedon). N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_12201-61196--,00.html>. • "Eastern White Pine (PinusStrobus)." Eastern White Pine: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trees_shrubs/conifers/easternwhitepine.html>. • "Fishes of Minnesota: White Sucker: Minnesota DNR." Fishes of Minnesota: White Sucker: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/whitesucker.html>. • "Mammals of Minnesota: Gray Squirrel: Minnesota DNR." Mammals of Minnesota: Gray Squirrel: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/graysquirrel.html>. • "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. 2012. <http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snapshots/plants/showyladysslipper.html>. • "White Pine Planting and Care." - Tree Care: Minnesota DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/treecare/whitepine/index.html>.