These beautifully orange mushrooms really popped on the dark forest floor today. Unsure what kind and I'm too tired to try and look them up yet tonight! Sherburne County, MN 08/07/22

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Hoary Vervain (also called Hoary Verbena) is a fairly common native wildflower which almost always has lilac-purple colored flowers. This single plant with pure white flowers really caught my attention. We did not see any others like it. William H. Houlton Conservation Area, Sherburne County, MN 08/07/22

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One more of the Giant Swallowtail we saw two weekends ago. It's been so much fun seeing so many of this species this year. Sherburne County, MN 08/07/22

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The number of Giant Swallowtails I've seen this year continues to be unprecedented. Today we saw multiples at 2 out of the 3 parks we visited. Like other species, they really love Swamp Milkweed flowers. William H. Houlton Conservation Area, Sherburne County, MN 08/07/22

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Monarda punctata (Spotted Horsemint) in an incredibly attractive native wildflower to pollinators. Think of it as "Wild Bergamot on steroids" because it is essentially multiple flowers stacked on one another. I've never really seen butterflies on it, but other insects like bees and the Goldenrod Soldier Beetles visible here just love it. It is mainly a plant of sunny fields and dry prairies, but I've also been successful in growing it in my own yard. Sherburne County, MN 08/07/22

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