Frontenac State Park
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Overview |
Frontenac State Park has a number of features to attract the amateur naturalist. In late July and early August a prairie between the park entrance and the main parking area has hundreds of rattlesnake masters with white blooms. A long, narrow boardwalk leads from the south parking area, through a floodplain forest, to Sand point, a good place to see gulls, terns, and shorebirds. The blufftop trail at the north end of the park passes under the heavy canopy of a sugar maple - basswood forest. It is not to be missed. Many woodland species seen here are found nowhere else in the park. |
History |
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Management |
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Location |
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Size |
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2,961 acres statutory, 2,276 owned |
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Driving Directions |
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Parking |
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29223 County 28 Boulevard N44 31.425, W92 20.532 Sand Point parking N44 30.407, W92 19.440 |
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Hours |
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Daily from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. |
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Fees |
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Daily park permit: $7 Annual park permit: $35 |
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Maps |
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Activities |
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Hiking Biking Mountain biking Horseback riding Picnicking Camping Backpacking Rock climbing and bouldering Swimming Boating Canoeing Birding Nature photography Geocaching Cross country skiing Skate-skiing Winter hiking Snowshoeing Snowmobiling |
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Trails |
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Hunting and Fishing |
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No hunting. The park may hold one or more managed hunts in the fall. In most cases, Minnesota residents do not need a permit to fish in Minnesota State Parks. |
Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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| Ecological Province |  |
Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province |
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| Ecological Section |  |
Paleozoic Plateau |
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| Ecological Subsection |  |
The Blufflands |
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| Land Type Association | Altura Ridgetops Elba Slopes Mississippi River Valley |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Black Oak - White Oak Woodland (Sand) Dry Bedrock Bluff Prairie (Southern) Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland Red Oak - White Oak Forest Sand Beach/Sandbar (River): Permanent Stream Subtype Silver Maple - Green Ash - Cottonwood Terrace Forest Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest Sugar Maple - Basswood - Red Oak - (Blue Beech) Forest |
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| * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||
Natural Features |
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Sand Point
One of the best parts of this park to find birds is also the one of the easiest to miss. The park entrance is on Goodhue County Road 2 one mile from US 61. Bypass the entrance and follow CR 2 for 0.7 mile through Old Frontenac then south 1.5 miles to a parking area and historic site. A trail leads from this parking area to a trail shelter near Sand Point.
The road near Villa Maria and the trail are good places to look for migrating warblers. Sand Point is a good spot for viewing gulls, terns, and shorebirds. The trail may be muddy and waterproof footwear is recommended in the spring.
Waterproof footwear recommended
Waterproof footwear is recommended when visiting Sand Point in the spring.
Visitor Photos |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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Fall |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Park entrance |
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Overlook |
Sugar Maple - Basswood - Red Oak - (Blue Beech) Forest |
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Trails |
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Trails |
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Other prairie |
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Sand Point |
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Sand Point |
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Slideshows |
Frontenac State Park |
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Frontenac State Park |
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About
Frontenac State Park - Minnesota |
Frontenac State Park, Minnesota |
About
Published on Oct 29, 2013 Favorite Sites: 5, 11, 12, 17, 20, 22, 28, 29, 42, 50, 53, 57 |
Fronteac State Park MN |
About
Published on Feb 10, 2014 I created this video with the YouTube Slideshow Creator |
Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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Sand Point Trail Frontenac, MN State Park |
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Uploaded on Jul 31, 2011 hiking the flooded trail. |
Mississippi River At Frontenac |
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Published on Nov 8, 2013 Frontenac State Park in Minnesota along the Mississippi River. Scene for Winscape. Original is 1080p. Filmed by Adam Gulkis on Canon 5D2. See www.rationalcraft.com/Winscape.html for more details. |
Grendel on Frontenac platform |
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Uploaded on Jun 4, 2008 Overlook onto Mississippi River from Frontenac State Park, MN. |
Group Campsite at Frontenac State Park, Minnesota |
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Published on Jul 12, 2012 Group Campsite at Frontenac State Park, Minnesota |
Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
7/19/1999 6/24/2001 5/16/2005 7/30/2014 |
Amphibians |
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| northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) |  |
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Fishes |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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Insects and Arachnids |
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ash leaf gall (Aceria fraxini) black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) common green darner (Anax junius) common whitetail (Plathemis lydia) common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala) dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis) dogwood sawfly (Macremphytus tarsatus) goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) great black digger wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) great spangled fritillary (Argynnis cybele) Halloween pennant (Celithemis eponina) maple spindle-gall mite (Vasates aceriscrumena) plum finger gall mite (Eriophyes emarginatae) question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) red nail gall mite (Eriophyes tiliae) red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) summer azure (Celastrina neglecta) twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) white snakeroot leaf miner (Liriomyza eupatoriella) |
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Mammals |
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American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) |
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Plants |
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Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List |
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Plants frequently found in: Black Oak - White Oak Woodland (Sand) FDs27c Dry Bedrock Bluff Prairie (Southern) UPs13c Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) UPs13b Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland FDs38a Red Oak - White Oak Forest MHs37a Sand Beach/Sandbar (River): Permanent Stream Subtype RVx32b2 Silver Maple - Green Ash - Cottonwood Terrace Forest FFs59a Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest FFs68a Sugar Maple - Basswood - Red Oak - (Blue Beech) Forest MHs39b |
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alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. sativa) Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum) American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana) American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) American elm (Ulmus americana) American germander (Teucrium canadense) American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) American lopseed (Phryma leptostachya) American plum (Prunus americana) American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus) American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis) annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus) asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) Atlantic ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius var. intermedius) Bell’s honeysuckle (Lonicera × bella) big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus) bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) Blue Ridge carrionflower (Smilax lasioneura) blunt-lobed woodsia (Woodsia obtusa ssp. obtusa) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea canadensis) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior) Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) Canadian tick-trefoil (Desmodium canadense) Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense) Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis) candle anemone (Anemone cylindrica) Carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala) common blue violet (Viola sororia) common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) common selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) compass plant (Silphium laciniatum) cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum) Deptford pink (Dianthus armeria ssp. armeria) Drummond’s aster (Symphyotrichum drummondii var. drummondii) early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata) early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) eastern bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. opulus) field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) field clover (Trifolium campestre ssp. campestre) field thistle (Cirsium discolor) flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata) fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum) giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) grape honeysuckle (Lonicera reticulata) gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hairy vetch (Vicia villosa ssp. villosa) hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana) hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) interrupted fern (Claytosmunda claytoniana) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus) large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) late goldenrod (Solidago altissima) late horse gentian (Triosteum perfoliatum) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) lowland hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani) Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) northern red oak (Quercus rubra) oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) paleleaf woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus) paper birch (Betula papyrifera) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) pointed-leaved tick-trefoil (Hylodesmum glutinosum) poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) prairie peppergrass (Lepidium densiflorum) purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia) purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota ssp. carota) rabbit’s foot clover (Trifolium arvense) rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium) red clover (Trifolium pratense) red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa) red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) rough bedstraw (Galium asprellum) rough oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra) round-headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) sandbar willow (Salix interior) silvergreen bryum moss (Bryum argenteum) silvery cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) soft agrimony (Agrimonia pubescens) spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida) sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum) sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata) tall thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana) tall tumble mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum) Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) timothy (Phleum pratense ssp. pratense) touch-me-not (Impatiens spp.) upland boneset (Eupatorium sessilifolium var. brittonianum) velvet-leaf (Abutilon theophrasti) violets (Viola section Chamaemelanium subsection Nudicaules) virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana) Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) western marbleseed (Lithospermum occidentale) western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida) white rattlesnake root (Nabalus albus) white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) white vervain (Verbena urticifolia) white wild indigo (Baptisia alba var. macrophylla) whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea) yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila ssp. pumila) yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius) yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)
Abutilon theophrasti (velvet-leaf) Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder) Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple) Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) Agastache scrophulariifolia (purple giant hyssop) Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot) Agrimonia gryposepala (common agrimony) Agrimonia pubescens (soft agrimony) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed) Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (lowland hog peanut) Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem) Anemone cylindrica (candle anemone) Anemone virginiana (tall thimbleweed) Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage) Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger) Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed) Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata (swamp milkweed) Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior (butterfly weed) Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed) Asparagus officinalis (asparagus) Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern) Baptisia alba var. macrophylla (white wild indigo) Berteroa incana (hoary alyssum) Betula papyrifera (paper birch) Bryum argenteum (silvergreen bryum moss) Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed) Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory) Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet) Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry) Circaea canadensis (broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade) Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) Cirsium discolor (field thistle) Clematis virginiana (virgin’s bower) Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed) Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood) Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood) Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood) Dalea candida var. candida (white prairie clover) Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover) Daucus carota ssp. carota (Queen Anne’s lace) Desmodium canadense (Canadian tick-trefoil) Dianthus armeria ssp. armeria (Deptford pink) Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive) Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye) Elymus hystrix (eastern bottlebrush grass) Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane) Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed) Erigeron strigosus (prairie fleabane) Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) Eupatorium sessilifolium var. brittonianum (upland boneset) Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium asprellum (rough bedstraw) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw) Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed) Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian’s sunflower) Helianthus strumosus (paleleaf woodland sunflower) Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra (rough oxeye) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Hylodesmum glutinosum (pointed-leaved tick-trefoil) Hypericum perforatum (common St. Johnswort) Impatiens sp. (touch-me-not) Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar) Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle) Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca (common motherwort) Lepidium densiflorum (prairie peppergrass) Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bush clover) Leucanthemum vulgare (oxeye daisy) Lithospermum occidentale (western marbleseed) Lonicera × bella (Bell’s honeysuckle) Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle) Lonicera reticulata (grape honeysuckle) Lonicera tatarica (Tatarian honeysuckle) Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus (bird’s-foot trefoil) Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal) Maianthemum stellatum (starry false Solomon’s seal) Medicago lupulina (black medick) Medicago sativa ssp. sativa (alfalfa) Melilotus albus (white sweet clover) Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed) Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) Nabalus albus (white rattlesnake root) Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely) Claytosmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern) Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam) Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine) Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip) Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) Phleum pratense ssp. pratense (timothy) Phryma leptostachya (American lopseed) Physocarpus opulifolius var. intermedius (Atlantic ninebark) Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain) Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal) Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood) Populus grandidentata (bigtooth aspen) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil) Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil) Prunella vulgaris (common selfheal) Prunus americana (American plum) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry) Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint) Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak) Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak) Quercus rubra (northern red oak) Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup) Ratibida pinnata (gray-headed coneflower) Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn) Rubus allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry) Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry) Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) Salix interior (sandbar willow) Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry) Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Scrophularia lanceolata (early figwort) Setaria faberi (giant foxtail) Setaria pumila ssp. pumila (yellow foxtail) Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion) Silphium laciniatum (compass plant) Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (cup plant) Sisymbrium altissimum (tall tumble mustard) Smilax lasioneura (Blue Ridge carrionflower) Solanum carolinense (Carolina horsenettle) Solidago altissima (late goldenrod) Solidago flexicaulis (zigzag goldenrod) Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod) Solidago rigida ssp. rigida (stiff goldenrod) Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed) Symphyotrichum drummondii var. drummondii (Drummond’s aster) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Teucrium canadense (American germander) Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue) Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood) Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy) Tragopogon dubius (yellow goat’s beard) Trifolium arvense (rabbit’s foot clover) Trifolium campestre ssp. campestre (field clover) Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Triosteum perfoliatum (late horse gentian) Ulmus americana (American elm) Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle) Uvularia grandiflora (large-flowered bellwort) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Verbena stricta (hoary vervain) Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) Viburnum opulus var. opulus (European cranberrybush) Vicia villosa ssp. villosa (hairy vetch) Viola section Chamaemelanium subsection Nudicaules (violets) Viola sororia (common blue violet) Woodsia obtusa ssp. obtusa (blunt-lobed woodsia) |
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Reptiles |
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| painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) |  |
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Birders
Sand Point is a good spot for viewing gulls, terns, and shorebirds.
Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |