About Minnesota Seasons

The primary goal of Minnesota Seasons is to provide a community-driven platform for naturalists and enthusiasts to document the biodiversity of Minnesota. We aim to be the premier local resource for individuals to:

• Share Discoveries: Post photos and sightings of plants, fungi, and wildlife observed in the field.

• Track Observations: Maintain personal lists of species encountered at various natural sites across the state.

• Contribute to Local Knowledge: Build a collective database of where and when specific taxa are currently appearing in their natural habitats.

Secondly, we remain committed to providing high-level technical information to assist in the identification of Minnesota’s flora, fauna, and fungi. We strive to provide descriptions detailed enough to identify a taxon to the species, subspecies, or variety level.

Finally, we provide essential data on the natural areas themselves. This includes site-specific species lists and custom-curated maps for locations where no other navigational resources exist, ensuring the public can find and appreciate these species in the wild.

In 2004 the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources funded an Outdoor Recreation Participation Survey of Minnesotans. Among the findings: 18% of Minnesotans participate in “Viewing, identifying or photographing wildflowers, trees, and natural vegetation.” This Web site is designed to be a resource for those 18% of Minnesotans.

Visitors who contribute photos and videos (media) to Minnesota Seasons retain the copyright on that media. Permission must be obtained from a contributor prior to using any of that contributor’s medias. By submitting media, the contributor asserts that he/she is the owner of the media and authorizes Minnesota Seasons to use the media on the Minnesota Seasons Web site, Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter).

This site is maintained by John Valo, a naturalist, plant enthusiast, and “SNAer”. He is the former site steward for Savage Fen Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) and Des Moines River SNA.