Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Overview |
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History |
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Management |
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Location |
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Size |
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2,884 acres statutory, 1,815 owned |
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Driving Directions |
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Parking |
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9700 170th Street East Visitor Center |
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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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Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal |
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Oak Savanna |
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| Land Type Association | Hayfield Till Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Black Ash - (Red Maple) Seepage Swamp Elm - Ash - Basswood Terrace Forest Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) 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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Visitor Photos |
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Jaxon Lane |
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Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest in early September |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Vernal |
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Park entrance |
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Hidden Falls Trail |
Hidden Falls | |
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Fawn Trail |
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Prairie Creek |
Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest | |
Autumnal |
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Hidden Falls |
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Hidden Falls Trail |
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Hidden Falls Trail |
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Fawn Trail |
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Fawn Trail |
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White Oak Trail |
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White Oak Trail |
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Prairie Creek |
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Prairie Creek |
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Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest |
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Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest |
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Slideshows |
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park |
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Nerstrand Big Woods State Park |
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About
Best place ever for ephemral flowers. Have never experienced anything like it. Only been at it for three years though... |
Nestrand Big Woods State Park |
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About
Nestrand Big Woods State Park |
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, Minnesota |
About
Published on Oct 29, 2013 Favorite Sites: 3, 14, 15, 19, 20, 22, 29, 37, 41, 48, 50 |
Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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Nerstrand Big Woods State Park |
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May 17, 2021 Spring/Wildflowers |
Hiking to a FROZEN WATERFALL at Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park in Minnesota! - S3:E4 |
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Feb 24, 2022 #hiking #waterfall #frozen #MN #Minnesota State Parks #NerstrandBigWoodsStatePark Join us as we hike to the frozen Hidden Falls at Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park in Minnesota! After a long cold snap, we took advantage of a little bit of a warmer day to explore and hike at Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park. Warmer in this case being 22 degrees with a wind chill of about 5-8 degrees. It wasn't too bad once we got into the woods, but as you can hear in the video there was still a lot of wind. Speaking of wind, sorry about the audio on this one. Still figuring out how well the new camera works under different conditions. Needless to say, I ordered wind screens right after I edited this video! The hike to the falls and back was only about 1.5 miles with only a little elevation change. From the park website: "Enjoy this park on foot, any season of the year. In the spring, the park is a wildflower garden where hepatica, bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, and the dwarf trout lily bloom. The dwarf trout lily is only found here. Relax by Hidden Falls in the summer. The autumn brings a burst of red, orange, and gold in the maple-basswood forest, one of the last extensive stands of the "Big Woods." When winter comes, hike, snowshoe, or snowmobile the trails through picturesque woods." - https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00241 We hope you enjoy this video! If you did, please hit that thumbs up button! Subscribe to our channel to see more hiking videos in the future! Camping videos will be starting again soon! |
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, Nerstrand, MN |
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Aug 16, 2021 Today's visit took us south of the Twin Cities to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. While there, we explored the picnic grounds, hiking trails, and checked out the main attraction; Hidden Falls. |
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park |
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Uploaded on Oct 20, 2011 Staying at Group Camp C for one night with the St. Olaf Camping Club. Music: |
Camping at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Minnesota |
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Published on Sep 12, 2013 No description available. |
Hidden Falls Final June 25th, 2011 |
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Uploaded on Jun 26, 2011 Hidden Falls from Nerstrand Big Woods State Park just outside of Northfield, Mn. Nice place to hike and is close to home. With all the rain this spring the falls is looking great. |
Visitor Sightings |
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Scott Fluegel |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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| Aborted Entoloma (Entoloma abortivum) |  |
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Gerry Garcia |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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| Jack-o’-Lantern Mushroom (Omphalotus illudens) |  |
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Kirk Nelson |
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Reptiles |
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| common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) |  |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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Amphibians |
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| American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) |  |
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Birds |
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Plants |
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jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) spring cress (Cardamine bulbosa) |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
7/9/1999 4/13/2000 4/27/2003 4/23/2005 5/6/2005 4/14/2006 10/19/2013 6/8/2014 |
Amphibians |
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| American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) |  |
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Fishes |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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Insects and Arachnids |
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blue-winged wasp (Scolia dubia) forest tent caterpillar moth (Malacosoma disstria) |
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Mammals |
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eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) |
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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 Ash - (Red Maple) Seepage Swamp WFn57a |
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Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana) American black currant (Ribes americanum) American cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum) American elm (Ulmus americana) American highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus) bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Blue Ridge carrionflower (Smilax lasioneura) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis) Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense) Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) clustered black snakeroot (Sanicula odorata) common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala) common blue violet (Viola sororia) common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum) cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) drooping trillium (Trillium flexipes) Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) eastern false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum) eastern prickly gooseberry (Ribes cynosbati) eastern star sedge (Carex radiata) field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum) garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata) interrupted fern (Claytosmunda claytoniana) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus) large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) lowland hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa) Maryland black snakeroot (Sanicula marilandica) May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum) Minnesota dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans) Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) northern red oak (Quercus rubra) ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica) pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus var. philadelphicus) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra) red clover (Trifolium pratense) red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa) rosy sedge (Carex rosea) round-leaved dogwood (Cornus rugosa) rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) scouring rush horsetail (Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine) sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) shining bedstraw (Galium concinnum) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) smooth yellow violet (Viola eriocarpa) sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum) swamp betony (Pedicularis lanceolata) touch-me-not (Impatiens sp.) upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata) Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica var. virginica) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) western bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum) western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white rattlesnake root (Nabalus albus) white trout lily (Erythronium albidum) wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii) wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia var. quinquefolia) woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea) yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris var. palustris)
Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder) Acer saccharinum (silver maple) Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple) Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) Actaea rubra ssp. rubra (red baneberry) Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair) Agrimonia gryposepala (common agrimony) Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata (hog peanut) Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (lowland hog peanut) Anemone acutiloba (sharp-lobed hepatica) Anemone quinquefolia var. quinquefolia (wood anemone) Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger) Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern) Caltha palustris var. palustris (yellow marsh marigold) Cardamine concatenata (cut-leaved toothwort) Carex radiata (eastern star sedge) Carex rosea (rosy sedge) Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory) Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) Claytonia virginica var. virginica (Virginia spring beauty) Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood) Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood) Cornus rugosa (round-leaved dogwood) Cryptotaenia canadensis (Canadian honewort) Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s breeches) Enemion biternatum (eastern false rue anemone) Equisetum arvense (field horsetail) Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine (scouring rush horsetail) Erigeron philadelphicus var. philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane) Erythronium albidum (white trout lily) Erythronium propullans (Minnesota dwarf trout lily) Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Galium concinnum (shining bedstraw) Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw) Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Heracleum maximum (American cow parsnip) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Impatiens sp. (touch-me-not) Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle) Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle) Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower) Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal) Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (ostrich fern) Medicago lupulina (black medick) Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed) Nabalus albus (white rattlesnake root) Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) 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) Pedicularis lanceolata (swamp betony) Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii (wild blue phlox) Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain) Podophyllum peltatum (May-apple) Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal) Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood) Populus grandidentata (bigtooth aspen) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry) Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum (western bracken fern) Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak) Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak) Quercus rubra (northern red oak) Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup) Ranunculus hispidus (bristly buttercup) Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn) Ribes americanum (American black currant) Ribes cynosbati (eastern prickly gooseberry) Rubus allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry) Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry) Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry) Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) Sanicula marilandica (Maryland black snakeroot) Sanicula odorata (clustered black snakeroot) Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (cup plant) Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower) Smilax lasioneura (Blue Ridge carrionflower) Solidago flexicaulis (zigzag goldenrod) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue) Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue) Thalictrum thalictroides (rue anemone) Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood) Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Trillium flexipes (drooping trillium) Trillium grandiflorum (large-flowered trillium) Ulmus americana (American elm) Uvularia grandiflora (large-flowered bellwort) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Viburnum opulus var. americanum (American highbush cranberry) Viola eriocarpa (smooth yellow violet) Viola sororia (common blue violet) |
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_02.jpg "bur oak (var. macrocarpa)")
Minnesota Dwarf Trout Lily
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is the only state park where Minnesota dwarf trout lily can be found.
Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |