Visiting Superior Forest
When it comes to nature, Minnesota is known for the land of a thousand lakes. In addition to Minnesota’s lakes, there are also large swaths of forests that are a haven for wildlife. These two photos above show some of the small simple ponds I came across. The one on the left is filled with lily pads while the one on the right is covered in duck weed. Despite how far north I was, I came across dozens of frogs along the banks of both of these ponds but missed capturing one in a photo.
Northern Minnesota is one of the most remote places I’ve ever traveled to in the United States. Most of the state’s north is part of Superior National Forest and Voyageurs National Park along the Canadian border. Superior national forest includes an incredible 6,100 square miles of land (16,000 square kilometers)! To the left you can see some of the white birch trees found in high latitudes in United States. On the right is a red sparrow.
This chipmunk on the left is a common animal throughout the United States. Several of my pages have a photo of one since I always come across them, I’d expect that they live in all 50 states. I had assumed the bird on the upper right was a prairie chicken, but in fact it is a grouse (Thanks Chase!). Different species of grouse live within North America and are often hunted as game animals. The specific species of this one appears to be a ruffed grouse.
By far my highlight to Minnesota was visiting the black bear sanctuary in Superior Forest. Several decades ago a man who had settled in the area was having problems with the local bears. They were constantly ransacking his cabin and taking his food. His solution was to shoot them all. He had eventually killed so many that he believed the problem to be solved, only to come home one day and find several more on his property. At this point he made a truce; the bears would no longer ransack his cabin if he provided them food. He continued this until he died, and his tradition was picked up by some locals which led to the creation of this sanctuary. These bears are completely wild and are free to come and go as they please. With a guaranteed supply of food though, there’s always at least a dozen within the sanctuary! Although my visit to the forest was short, I’d like to return for a more serious trip and would hope to see more black bears as well as other native animals such as moose, elk and even wolves.