Some of my shots from Mystery Cave at Forestville State Park.

Saw three big bucks at the top of the hill under the flight path at around 9:15 pm today. Here's my best shot of one of them.

 Great day to take the kids to the beach.

 I was out kayaking on Snelling lake and saw this Black-crowned Night Heron. She/he let me get within 20 feet of him/her. Supposedly nocturnal and roosts and sleeps during the day. Taken around 10:00AM.

He/she held its beak open in the water for a good 2 minutes. Waiting for breakfast to swim in?

The 35 Most Spectacular Wildlife Photos From The National Geographic Photo Contest

Great National Geo pics worth sharing....

Whats Blooming?

Yesterday we had a good day at the open house.  The rain held off and I had time to take a little stroll to see what was blooming in this late spring.  

 Golden Alexander, native

Alkali Buttercup, native

The Alkali Buttercup is considered endangered or threatened in many states, including Wisconsin, but not Minnesota.

Leafy Spurge, invasive, Europe

Leafy Spurge is on the noxious weed list for Minnesota and can be hard to eradicate.

Canada Anemone, native

Virginia Waterleaf, native

Dame's Rocket

Dame's Rocket may be confused for a wild phlox, but phlox all have 5-petaled flowers, not 4. Dame's Rocket is a prolific bloomer and a single plant produces a large quantity of seed. It can form massive colonies and crowd out native plants.

Common Fleabane, native

Photo by Doug Schurr

If you are interested is our wildflowers a great site is http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/

Coyote

A very good reason to keep all pets on a leash.

This is the first coyote I have seen at the park.  I was so excited I barely got the picture.  And when I did I had to laugh because of the sign.

I also saw 3 beavers, some wood ducks and I cannot forget all the deer.  I had a good walk with a good friend and ran into a few other club members.  All in all it was a good day.  Geri

Lots of Scarlet Tanagers in the park today. Saw 4 males in one tree on Pike just after you cross the bridge and shot these two by the boat launch on the MN river.

This is the same male on the ground.