This is one of the more unusual fungi I've ever come across and I had no idea what it was at the time. All I knew is that it was oozing some kind of substance that resembled molasses. I didn't even know where to start with finding an ID on this so I shared to a facebook group called "Minnesota Naturalists" and got an ID rather quickly as Hydnellum caeruleum. There are a bunch of Hydnellum species and they are generally referred to as "tooth mushrooms" due to tiny tooth-like structures on the underside of the cap. I learned that the oozing substance has nothing to do with this particular species, and in fact a whole lot of mushrooms do this. It is something called "guttation" which is where the byproducts of a mushroom's metabolism are expelled out of the fruiting body. One user in that group said that they'd "been mushroom foraging for a decade and have never found one" which makes me think they're not very common. Fish Lake Nature Trails, Anoka County, MN 08/05/23

© All Rights Reserved

I've been trying all season to catch a save-able photo of a Great Spangled Fritillary. I would have preferred to have the light at a different angle at the time, but it kind of lit up this butterfly's wings like a light bulb. It was visiting Common Boneset, a Minnesota native wildflower that prefers wet lowlands. Fish Lake Nature Trails, Anoka County, MN 08/05/23

© All Rights Reserved

I thought these Raspberry(?) leaves were interesting with their different colors backlighting. Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve - Anoka County, MN 11/06/22

© All Rights Reserved

Fish Lake itself is a very shallow lake and already frozen over from end to end. It seemed all the Trumpeter Swans we often see here had moved into nearby farm fields looking for spilled corn. Anoka County, MN 11/28/21

© All Rights Reserved

A beautiful but chilly day for a hike on the Fish Lake Nature Trails. So many beautiful Oak trees. And I think maybe the red berries are native Winterberry. Anoka County, MN 11/28/21

© All Rights Reserved