Download Biodiversity in Minnesota

By: Payton See
Snowy Owl
Nyctea scandiaca
 The Snowy Owl is a large white owl with a yellow head.
Both the male and female stand about 22 inches and
weigh about 5 pounds.
 Snowy owls don’t nest in Minnesota. They nest on
grassy hummocks in the arctic. The number of eggs
depends on the amount of food in the area.
 Snowy owls feed on lemmings, voles, mice, rabbits,
and birds.
 Predators of the snowy owl are great horned owls,
coyotes, and foxes.
Snowy owl continued…
 Snowy owls live on arctic tundra, open grasslands, and
fields.
 There is no set population on snowy owls in Minnesota
because different numbers of snowy owls migrate to
northern Minnesota each year.
 Snowy owls are not hunted or harvested in Minnesota.
 Snowy owls in captivity have been known to be infected
with west nile virus.
 Fun Facts: Scientists use a fishing pole with a fake
mouse to catch owls. Harry Potter’s owl was a Snowy
Owl. Some snowy owls can be completely white.
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieui
 Smallmouth Bass are sometimes called “bronzebacks”
because of their bronze colored body.
 Smallmouth Bass are one of the strongest fighting fish
for their size.
 In the spring smallmouth bass move into shallow
gravel bottom lakes to spawn. The male builds the nest
and the female will lay 2,000 to 10,000 eggs.
 Smallmouth bass feed on small baitfish as well as
crayfish and worms.
Smallmouth Bass continued…
 Predators of the smallmouth bass are northern pike
and muskies as well as bald eagles.
 Smallmouth Bass usually live in deep cool water near
rock piles in lakes. In rivers, they like calm deep pools
near rocks.
 Smallmouth Bass can be infected by tapeworm. The
disease doesn’t harm people if they eat the fish,
though it is not recommended.
 Smallmouth Bass can be harvested year round except
from February 24th to May 26th.
White-Tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus townsendii
 The white-tailed jackrabbit is the largest member of
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the hare family.
It has very long ears that make it very easy to identify.
They also have a seasonal fur change that distinguishes
this rabbit from others.
Jackrabbits can weigh anywhere from 6 to 10 pounds.
The jackrabbit’s fur is brown and gray in the summer
and in the winter it changes to white.
Females have their first litter in early April and may
have two or three more litters later in the summer.
White-Tailed Jackrabbit continued…
 Jackrabbits eat plants and seeds such as winter wheat, dandelions, and
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blue gamma grass.
Jackrabbits eat their own droppings as a source of protein.
Predators of the jackrabbit are coyotes, fox, hawks, and great horned
owls.
Jackrabbits live mainly in open plain areas. Jackrabbits are a game
species and several thousand are taken by hunters but many more are
killed by predators.
Fun Facts: The white-tailed jackrabbit is a hare not a rabbit. Minnesota
has two hare species and only one rabbit species.
Jackrabbits change the color of their fur for camo.
Green Frog
Rana clamitans
 The green frog is a fist-sized frog that has two ridges
going down its back. The males have large tympanums
(the big roind things behind its eyes).
 Green frog are more brown then the bullfrog. Their
skin is smooth.
 Male green frogs have two vocal pouches while the
female only has one.
 Males set up nesting areas for the females is shallow
water of lakes ponds or ditches. Females lay 3,000 to
4,000 eggs in May through July. Tadpoles develop into
frogs over the winter.
Green Frog continued…
 Tadpoles eat mainly algae while adults eat insects,
worms, and small fish.
 Green frog spend most of their time in the water of
streams, ditches, lakes, and ponds.
 Green frogs have no set population in Minnesota.
 Fun Facts: Green frogs have very good senses. Their
bulging eyes let them see many directions. They use
their brain to interpret sound that vibrate through
their ear drum.
Tamarack
Larix laricina
 The tamarack has a straight upright trunk extending to the top of the tree.
 The average height of a tamarack is 40 to 70 feet tall and 14 to 24 inches in
diameter.
 The bark is rough with thin reddish brown scales. Twigs are light brown and
they are covered with short branches.
 The leaf of the tamarack is needlelike, flat, slender, and about one inch long. In
the summer the leaves are bright green and in the fall they turn yellow.
 The young cones are red or green while the mature cones are light brown. The
mature cones are about ¾ of an inch long. The cones often remain on the tree
for many years.
 Fun Fact: The Tamarack is the only conifer in Minnesota to lose its leaves in the
fall.
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http://pbio209.pbworks.com/w/page/11342441/Shumate,%20R%20-%20Eastern%20larch
http://www.conifers.org/pi/Larix_lyallii.php
http://philippa-pippasplace.blogspot.com/2011/08/tamarack.html
http://www.harvardpress.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20%20NewsArticles/Print.aspx?tabid=2190&tabmoduleid=7735&artic
leId=4445&moduleId=3353&PortalID=0&PageID=118
White Prairie Clover
Dalea candida
 Slender stems and numerous small white flowers.
 Blooms between July and August.
 American Indians used it for food, tea, and medicine.
 Fun Fact: The white prairie clover is very drought
tolerant and can survive in very dry conditions.
http://minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/white_prairie_clov
er.html
http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/photos
ubpages/latesummerphotos2.html
Works Cited
“Green Frog.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toa
ds/truefrogs/green.html>.
“Smallmouth Bass.” University of Minnesota. N.p., n.d. Web.
30 Sept. 2012.
<http://hatch.cehd.umn.edu/research/fish/fishes/smallmout
h_bass.html>.
“Smallmouth Bass Identification.” Minnesota’s Green Zone.
N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.mngreenzone.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/Smallmouth-bass-rangeminnesota.png>.
“Snowy Owl.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Minnesota Consevation Volunteers, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/snowyowl.html>.
“Tamarack.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trees_shrubs/conifers/tamarac
k.html>.
“Underwater Fish Photography Geniuses.” Skinny Moose.
Outdoor Hub, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.skinnymoose.com/3rs/2009/02/13/underwaterfish-photography-geniuses/>.
“White-tailed Jackrabbit.” Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources. Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, n.d. Web. 27
Sept. 2012.
<http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/whitetailedjackrabbi
t.html>.