North Mississippi Regional Park is a narrow land strip between the Mississippi River and I-94. Located on the northern border of Minneapolis, it is a joint program between the Minneapolis Park Board and Three Rivers Park District. The park is a jewel! You will see amazing insects here. There are not many places in Minnesota where you will happen upon an Elusive Clubtail, but here between July and September, you have a better than average chance.

Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area is located in Burnett County and is just over 30,000 acres. The land consists of wetlands, prairies and forests. There are over 270 bird species and 600 plant species. Odonata Central lists 82 species of odonates in the county. There is a wonderful visitors center and many miles of dirt roads to explore. Slow down, listen and look!

Lebanon Hills is a beautiful park near the city of Eagan that has a visitor’s center, swim beach, personal watercraft rental and awesome hiking trails for you, your mountain bike or you and your horse. You can hang out with the family or get away from it all. There are several lakes within the 1,869 acres. Watch for these commonly seen dragonflies. Common and beautiful.

Sax Zim Bog is not only a bog, but forest, meadows, lakes, rivers, farms and towns. It is an IBA (Important Bird Area). If you haven’t been, you really should go. The Master Species list is continually growing and includes over 1,200 species: 467 plants, 284 moths, 234 birds, 137 fungi/lichen and 83 dragonflies.

The bog is beautiful. There is always something to be seen that you will never unsee! So many “lifer” sightings.

Sherburne NWR is another IBA (Important Bird Area) in Minnesota. The refuge provides a safe area for many migrating bird species as well as many other local species. October brings thousands of Sandhill Cranes to the area on their route to winter in Texas and Mexico. The Wildlife Drive within the refuge is a six mile dirt road that provides you with a great look at many birds, insects, amphibians and mammals. Using your car as a blind allows you to observe the animal’s natural behavior. This gem is a nearby and favorite spot of mine.

I have not yet visited all seven of the Eau Claire County Parks, but I intend to. The parks I have visited are Coon Fork and Harstad, both near Augusta, WI. They are beautiful parks with good hiking trails. I got two new lifer dragonflies and a butterfly. These experiences keep you young and happy! I hope to see the other county parks soon: Big Falls County Park, Lake Altoona County Park, Lake Eau Claire County Park, L.L. Phillips County Park and Lowes Creek County Park.

The “Arb” is 800 acres next to Carlton College in Northfield, MN. The land is bordered on the west by the Cannon River. This makes it a great place to explore. The lower portion of the Arb takes you through a shady area. If you park in the West Parking lot as you pass the stream connecting Lyman Lakes to the Cannon River you will see many broad-winged damselflies flying about. Explore the banks carefully and maybe you too will be surprised by a large fishing spider. Don’t forget your bug spray as this area is mosquito heaven. Follow the trail north and you will find the path opens to the sky and is a great place to see clubtails patrolling the path and zipping back to the river. Next trip I hope it won’t be 90 degrees and 65 percent humidity so I can make it beyond Turtle Pond.

Walking the trail along Annie Battle Lake at Glendalough State Park I saw dragonflies and butterflies darting about. Making my way through the tall grasses I saw a small spider under a curled leaf. It was a Golden-rod Crab Spider. It wasn’t until I looked closely at the image on the back of my camera that I saw this spider had a severed dragonfly’s head displayed at the entrance to it’s home. Astonishing!

Glendalough is located in the rolling Leaf Hills of western Minnesota. The park is 1,931 acres and has five lakes within it’s boundaries .

Westwood Hills is a 160 acre park on the northwestern side of St Louis Park. It has a large pond, restored prairie and hiking trains that include a boardwalk over a portion of the pond. In the spring you can see several migrating waterfowl including Wood Ducks, Grebes, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Trumpeter Swans and Golden Eyes. There are lots of Painted Turtles and two very large Snapping Turtles I have encountered on the trails. Animals you will see include deer, mink, many species of birds like Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Yellow-rumped Warbler and many more.

Stearns County is located in central Minnesota. The county has 166 lakes with the Mississippi River as it’s northeast border. There are 29 protected areas in the county including County Parks, Nature Preserves, Regional Parks, Scientific and Natural Areas, State Forest and Wildlife Management Areas. The terrain is rolling hills and lightly wooded. On 8/14/2019, many stops at many protected areas were made and here is a part of what I saw.

At the very western edge of the Twin Cities metropolitan area is Carver Park Reserve. This a beautiful land of rolling hills owned by Three Rivers Park District. The massive park includes more than a dozen lakes, paved and turf trails, a campground and archery park just to name a few of the many amenities. There is a Dragonfly Pond and other places you will want to bring along your camera. And after a day of hiking, a short 10 minute drive will put you at the doorstep of one of two breweries or a winery/brewery where you can have a drink and look at the beautiful images on the LCD screen on your camera.

Todd County was named after Union Army Civil War General John Todd. He was the first cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s wife. Following the formation of the Dakota Territory, he was elected as a Democrat to the House for two terms from 1861 to 1865. While there is no connection between this history and the nature photographs I took in Todd County, both make me smile.

Mississippi Gateway Regional Park is one of the most unique parks in Three Rivers. The Mississippi River defines the boundary of this 160-acre park and there are many opportunities to see our nation’s greatest river up close. From the 12-foot-wide observation walkway on top of the dam, enjoy spectacular scenery, the roar of the water, and rainbows in the mist. Follow the more than two miles of trails along the bank of the river and disappear into the beauty and quiet of nature. Look for signs of the abundant wildlife that live in or visit the park—mink, beaver, hawks, osprey, deer, turtles and river otters. Especially look for the insects…ah, winged insects like dragonflies and butterflies.

The General Mills Nature Preserve is located in Golden Valley. The park is 27 acres and provides paved hiking trails. The habitat includes a marsh, wet meadow and flood plain forest. Bassett Creek flows through the park. I have not seen a lot of insect diversity, but have seen spreadwing damselflies at least 6 species of butterflies and a family of 3 otters.

The St. Croix River forms a 125 mile border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. They are several beautiful sites where access is provided to this gorgeous river. My favorites on the Wisconsin side include Interstate State Park, Lions Park and St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in St. Croix Falls. Then onto River Road with stops at Spangler’s Lnding and Nevers Dam Landing. Continuing north into Governor Knowles Forest be sure to check out Sunrise Ferry Landing and on to County Rd O Landing. As you near Grantsburg, be sure to visit Raspberry Landing and both Highway 70 Landings. Raspberry is a beautiful sandy stretch…but the access road is rutted and good vehicle ground clearance is recommended.

In 2018 my camera of choice was a Nikon D500, a crop sensor, with a second generation Nikkor 300mm f4 I purchased used. My captures improved over my earlier entry camera set up and the photography bug bit me hard. Most of these images were made at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge or North Mississippi Regional Park in Minnesota.

In the summer of 2019, I added a full frame Nikon D850 to my camera arsenal along with a Nikkor 300mm PF lens and let go of my older model 300 as the new lens contains Vibration Reduction. The trade-off is the increased weight of the full frame camera so the end result is a wash. Increased image quality due to the super megapixels will quickly fill up your computer.

It was the first Saturday of May and I decided to drive the roads of Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area. I stopped along Headquarters Road when I saw something flying erratically. I could not figure out what it was until it got close when I saw it was a Common Green Darner trying to take down a butterfly. As he finally got it down on the ground I was able to see it, I learned his prey was a Painted Lady butterfly.