Water Lily Leaves in Autumn, Cook County, Minnesota

Cook County sits at the northeastern tip of Minnesota along Lake Superior's North Shore, bordering Ontario and encompassing much of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The county's terrain includes numerous bogs, beaver ponds, and small wetlands fed by the Sawtooth Mountains' runoff, where floating-leaved plants like water lilies and pond-lily species take hold in shallow, still water. By early October, water lily pads in the region typically turn shades of yellow, orange, and red as chlorophyll breaks down, a seasonal change tied to shortening daylight and dropping water temperatures. Much of the county's land is managed by the Superior National Forest, which oversees a large share of Minnesota's remaining undeveloped wetland habitat.

Photo taken in October 2022.