Winter's Coming

This 2 year old whitetail buck had just lost his velvet from his antlers. There are still a few red spots on the antlers where the blood has not dried brown yet. Also his red summer hair is gone and his winter brown fur is starting to grow.
The other bucks I saw this morning still had their velvet. Many of the deer are in the middle of shedding their redder summer coats.

 Sept 1  This guy paused for a grape leaf while scraping off his velvet in the vines and near by bushes.

Oak Apple Gall

While hiking along the trail that goes around Snelling Lake I found these small round balls on the trail under the oak trees. Very interesting life cycle of the wasp that causes these galls to form. In the early summer they are green with spots. The ones I found were red and juicy inside with a little larve in it. In the fall they will dry out and get brown and papery and there will be a little hole in them where the larve has crawled out. Krista identified them and provided this link http://flnps.org/native-plants/oak-apple-galls or you can go to http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/oak_apple_gall_wasp.htm for more information. Doug Schurr

Fort Snelling buildings

Patti Deters sent: Here's an interesting article/video on the Fort Snelling buildings. http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2013/08/historic-buildings-fort-snelling-s-upper-post-finally-getting-restored

Even More Flowers Blooming at Ft Snelling St Park

Common Burdock and Friend

American Lotus

White Water Lily

Prairie Ironweed

Obedient Plant AKA False Dragonhead

Water Plantain

Boneset

False Sunflower AKA Smooth Oxeye

Butter-and-Eggs

Smartweed

Bur Cucumber

Wild Cucumber

   

 Sunflower ?

More Flowers Currently Blooming in the Park

Queen Anne's Lace

Coreopsis

Common Ragweed

Common Sunflower

White Snakeroot

Field Thistle

Wild Mint

Swamp Milkweed

Joe-pye Weed

Water Hemlock

Bee Balm AKA Monarda

Purple Coneflower

Soapwort

Tall Bellflower

Nodding Foxtail

Blooming Now At The Park

Jewelweed AKA Pale Touch-me-not

Creeping Bellflower

Black-eyed Susan

Goldenrod

Big Bluestem

Woodland Sunflower

Yellow Coneflower

Blue Vervain

Here is a sample of the many flowers that are now blooming at Ft Snelling State Park.
by Jerry Barnett

Elk photo trip

Dan and Mary Dreher are putting together an Elk viewing/photo taking excursion to Clam Lake Wisconsin on the weekend on the 28th and 29th of Sept.. This is approximately 180 miles northeast of the Twin Cities. See Dan's blog at: http://www.wildlifephotographybymhd.com/blog.html for more info and to see a couple elk photos.

Dan is seeing about motel availability and there is a USFS campground at Day Lake campground which is located 1 mile north of Clam Lake. More info at our next meeting on Sept. 7

There is a photography workshop coming up at Maplewood Nature Center that I thought I would pass on to the camera club members.  The information is as follows:

CAPTURING INSECTS THROUGH YOUR CAMERA 
Saturday, August 17, 9 am-Noon
Learn the secrets of photographing bugs close-up from expert photographer Bill Johnson.    Bring your camera on a ‘bug hunt’ around Maplewood nature center’s native gardens as you learn how to take successful insect photos using your own equipment.    Take away tips, resources and photographic techniques as well as where and how to look for insect subjects. 
 View photographic print examples as the end result of the photographic techniques that have been discussed.  

Bill Johnson’s insect photography has been published in over 800 publications. He writes the column ‘Insect ID’ for Horticulture Magazine.
See his work at:  www.billjohnsonbeyondbutterflies.com
Location:  Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th St. E, Maplewood, 651-249-2170
Fee: $30/person.  Prepay by August 9th.    651-249-2170.     Adults

Rescued these two young racoons from the trash bin in the first beach parking lot Saturday before the meeting.