Minnesota Seasons

These are locations in Minnesota where native plants, birds, and other wildlife can be viewed. With very few exceptions, these destinations are open to the public.

Visitors can share their own photos, videos, plant and wildlife sightings, and other observations.

Native, naturalized, invasive, or simply planted—any plant growing outside of cultivation in Minnesota.

More than 800 plant pages include photos, a description, a multi-sourced distribution map, and a list of sites where the plant has been found.

Insects and arachnids found in Minnesota.

Species pages include photos, a description, a list of sightings by MinnesotaSeasons.com, visitor sightings, and distribution maps.

Birds and bears, snakes and squirrels, toads and turtles—wildlife found in Minnesota.

Wildlife pages include photos, a description, and a list of sightings, as well as distribution maps for amphibians, mammals, and reptiles.

Mushrooms, lichens, and other fungi found in Minnesota.

Fungi and lichen pages include photos, a description, a list of sightings by MinnesotaSeasons.com, visitor sightings, and distribution maps.

Download free high resolution wallpapers (screen backgrounds). These are photos of destinations featured on MinnesotaSeasons.com. The wallpapers are grouped by ecological season. Each wallpaper is optimized for the screen resolutions used most often on desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Prevernal is an ecological season. It does not correspond to any calendar season. Also called pre-spring, it fits between snow-covered winter and the wildflowers of spring. In Minnesota, it begins about March 1, as the weather warms and the snow melts, and lasts until about May 1. Deciduous tree buds begin to swell. Migrating birds fly from winter to summer habitats.

horsemint name changed to spotted beebalm

weeping green lacewing (Chrysoperla plorabunda)

snow fly (Chionea valga)

Luciearl

White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

mining bee (Andrena spp.)

eastern harvestman (Leiobunum vittatum)

Mossy Maze Polypore (Cerrena unicolor)

Luciearl

northern broken-dash (Wallengrenia egeremet)

dogwood sawfly (Macremphytus testaceus)

Leonard’s skipper (Hesperia leonardus)

Scott Leddy

sand wasp (Gorytes spp.)

ichneumon wasp (Charops annulipes)

ichneumon wasp (Vulgichneumon brevicinctor)

common roadside-skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis)

Scott Leddy

longhorned beetle (Neoclytus mucronatus)

silver flower longhorn beetle (Grammoptera subargentata)

American green crab spider (Misumessus oblongus)

hammock spider (Pityohyphantes costatus)

boreal combfoot (Steatoda borealis)