Bright red sunrise over the Mississippi from the North Overlook at Great River Bluffs State Park in late August.
 PHOTO: A. Selness, taken 8/24/2021
.
Bright red sumac at Great River Bluffs State Park this week!
 Plant sumac as an alternative to nonnative ornamental shrubs: It has great fall color and prevents erosion. PHOTO: Peng Li, taken 10/17/21
The staghorn sumac is one of three types of native sumac that grows in Minnesota. You can identify this species by its fuzzy fruit and hairy branches that resemble deer antlers (or "stag horns"). It attracts bees, wasps and beetles.
You can see the vibrant red of sumac's fall leaves in clearings, prairies, and along roads and shores. What you cannot see is its underground network of roots (rhizomes) organized around a mother.
Sumac has been used for medicinal purposes and for cooking by Indigenous people, as well as in Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.
More on staghorn sumac from the University of Minnesota.
 Scenic view of the Mighty Mississippi at Crow Wing State Park. PHOTO: Molly Pudwell, taken 10/17/21
Crow Wing State Park is of historical and natural relevance. Climb the stairs to Chippewa Lookout for scenic views of the Mississippi River and explore the Red River Oxcart trail (Hiking Club trail) — colors are magnificent on this trail right now! Visit the historic Old Crow Wing Townsite, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing rivers. Signs tell the story of this frontier town in the mid-1800s. Hike or pedal past pines, prairie, hardwoods and the Mississippi River on the paved Paul Bunyan State Trail as it traverses the park... or take the state trail for many more miles as it connects communities all the way to Lake Bemidji State Park.
Paul Bunyan State Forest features rough and hilly terrain, with many tiny ponds and bogs. Hundreds of miles of trails among pine forests makes this one of the premier state forest destinations in Minnesota.
Single-track OHM (off-highway motorcycle) trails at Paul Bunyan State Forest: Martineau Recreational Trails.
📷 Brandon Holland, taken 10/16/21
|
