 The walleye is a torpedo-shaped fish with a color range of dark olive brown to yellow gold.  The lower tip of the walleye’s tail is white.  Walleyes usually feed in shallow water at dawn and dusk. They are fish eaters generally feeding on yellow perch or small baitfish.  Predators of the walleye are northern pike, muskies, and people. Walleyes are the most sought after fish in Minnesota.  Walleyes prefer cold water and low light. During the summer they spend most of their time in cool deeper water away from the bright sunlight.  Walleye population in Minnesota is estimated about 260 million. 

 Derma Sarcoma is a disease carried by walleyes through a virus. It is a wart disease that does not infect humans.  Fun Facts: the walleye is the state fish of Minnesota. Walleyes have a cousin that is very similar to them called the Sauger. The state record for walleye is 17 pounds.  The 2013 season for fishing walleyes is 5/11/13 – 2/23/14

 The White Lady’s Slipper’s stem can reach up to 1 foot tall and they are often clumped with 3 or 4 slightly folded leaves.  The White Lady’s Slipper blooms in early June.  The range for the White Lady’s Slipper is eastern and southern Minnesota.  This wildflower is used for medical reasons like to relieve nerve tensions.  Fun Fact: Minnesota’s state flower.  

The Range of a White Lady’s Slipper

 The Red squirrel is rusty red above with a whitish belly, gray sides with ears that are tufted in winter. The body is inches long and its tail is 4-5 inches long and it weighs about 7 to 9 ounces.  Red squirrels mate in late winter. They nest in hollow trees or build nests. In spring Females have 2-5 babies which are born hairless and weigh less than an ounce and they come independent within 12 weeks.  Squirrels eat the seeds of various conifers, acorns, mushroom, hickory nuts. After they are done eating it is common for them to hide the nuts and seeds for winter days

 Cats, hawks, coyotes and foxes all eat red squirrels.  Red squirrels mainly live in coniferous forests, but hardwoods and northern prairies are also habitat for red squirrels.  Minnesota has plenty of red squirrels due to the large amount if habitat Minnesota has for them.  Thousands of red squirrels are harvested each year but don’t provide as much meat as the larger gray and fox squirrels.  Fun Facts: During the winter red squirrels may become covered in sap from pine trees. They are also known for their bright shiny eyes. During they fall they gather there food for the winter.  You can also hunt these squirrels from 9/15-12 through 2/28/13

Red Squirrel Range

 Common Tiger Salamander is black with yellow markings which can differ in size and shape. Their belly is greenish brown.  When they want to breed they will go to water to do so. They only have a 50% chance of only breeding more then once in their lifetime. When they are about the breed the male salamander will drop of sperm at the bottom of the lake where then the female will pick that up and fertilize her eggs. She can lay anywhere from eggs a day and within the next several days she will have laid close to 5,000 and within 14 days they will hatch.  Salamanders eat things like worms and insects and sometimes small mice and frogs.  Their predators are bobcats, badgers, owls and snakes

 Salamanders live in most of Minnesota occupying variety of habitats. They can live in the water and on land as well.  Salamanders population can vary from place to place but there is a large number of them living in the United States and Mexico. Most populations have two different species living in the same spot. Minnesota has 6 different species of salamanders living here.  Salamanders transmit a bacterial disease that is very harmful to frogs. They also carry a disease called ranaviruses which infects reptiles, amphibians, and fish.  Fun Facts: The word salamander comes from the Greek word “fire lizard”. They can grow up to 5 feet long, and they are nocturnal.  This animal can be kept as a pet.   environmental/articles/70454.asp environmental/articles/70454.asp 

Range of a Tiger Salamander

 The screech owl is tiny gray and reddish looking bird with big yellow eyes and ear tufts. They can be 7 to 10 inches tall and they have a wingspan that stretch up to 2 feet long they also weigh only 7 ounces  These birds nest in a second-hand nest or tree cavity they also sometimes nest and a wood ducks nest. It only takes 26 to 32 days to hatch.  Eastern Screech Owl’s eat insects, small rodents and small birds and reptiles. The perch waiting for the food and then they swoop down when something catches their eye.

 Great horned owls, hawks, dogs, and cars have all known to kill screech owls and sometime snakes have been knowing to rob their nest  They can be found throughout most of Minnesota.  These birds are fairly common in Minnesota they tolerate the presence of humans fairly well.  Malaria is found in these birds. They often carry blood diseases  Fun Fact: One of its ear holes is higher then the other to help identify the source of a sound. They also like other owls, and they have eyes that face forward giving them depth perception.  It is illegal it hunt these birds   eech/home.htm

 The Eastern Hemlock can grow up to 50’ to 75’ and 24 to 36 inches around they have a straight trunk reaching upward with branches growing horizontally.  Needles are flat and short on slender stalks. They are green on top and white on the bottom. The cones are very small with rounded scales. The seeds are winged and about 1/16” long.  The barks has narrow rounded ridges covered with flat scales coloring in cinnamon-red to gray.  The leaves from this tree are used to treated kidney ailments and the bark is used to treat colds fevers and coughs.

 A disease that this tree is heart rot. Heart Root effects the living or core woody area of the tree.  Fun Fact: Hemlock leaves have some vitamin C and the bark can be used for tanning leather.  htm htm  

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