Hidden Falls – Valerie's Voice

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

On my drive out to Nerstrand state park, I was thinking about our Minnesota State Parks. They are definitely a valuable resource and I’m thankful they have been established so that I/everyone can get outside in nature, and explore.

I haven’t been to all 65 of the state parks, but we have visited many of them over the years. We did a lot of camping in earlier days.

There are seven state parks along the north shore of Lake Superior that are scenic and connect to the “big lake” somehow. The others, scattered throughout the state, are inviting too. Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is about a 20-minute drive from our house. Maybe because I frequent it so often all year long, it has become one of my favorite state parks. A place to hike, to picnic, to camp…a place of beauty and rejuvenation… and so close to home.

As I starting walking down a familiar trail and saw the lime, spring-green leaves overhead (unique to this season), breathed in the fresh air, and heard birds singing, I sighed; this is exactly what I needed. I was happy to be here.

I was a little late to see some of the more familiar spring ephermals in bloom…the dwarf trout lily (found only in a few places in the world) being one of them…but there were other spring flowers blooming and it was fun to walk along and identify them.

Many of the parks, especially along the north shore, have water falls, as does Nerstrand. Hidden Falls is smaller, but still lovely. The recent rains made for a full spilling over. I sat and watched the mesmerizing water flow.

This beautiful bloom hangs under the large leaf of the mayapple plant. You need to look for it.

There were many mayapples with hidden blooms underneath their umbrella leaves.

I always feel safe walking the trails by myself in this park.

It was a great way to start my day.

Ephemerals

Spring ephemerals: wildflowers that bloom for only a few days in the spring.

Last week I took a couple jaunts out to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, one of my favorite parks in the area. Springtime in Nerstand always shows off its wildflowers before the trees leaf out. In spring the sunshine can reach and nourish the plants. We had an especially cold, windy and dreary April, so it seemed the many varieties of wildflowers decided to all pop up at once in May. It was spectacular.

Marsh marigold (yellow) in the background.

I was able to participate in a wildflower walk with the new park naturalist at Nerstrand. As our group walked along the path towards Hidden Falls, he identified many different plants.

Lots of water flowing over Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.

It was a good refresher course for me…each year I like to wander through the park and try to identify the spring flowers. I forget some over the year, and like to be reminded of their names.

The rare – grown only a few places in Minnesota and nowhere else in the world – the dwarf trout lily, was in bloom. It is always special to see that tiny, kernel of rice-size flower.

Photo taken in 2021. I used my finger to show perspective.

It was a sunny, glorious day as we hiked the trail. Not so windy, as it has been, and is, as I write this post.

Soon the tree leaves will cover the forest floor in shade, and the beautiful spring flowers will go dormant and wait until next spring to resurrect once again.

November Prairie

Walking through the prairie, on a cool November morning, was glorious.

The sky was interesting… blue patches in one direction, dark clouds in the other direction, with the sun trying to peek beyond the clouds.

We walked through the quaint cemetery at Valley Grove that leads to the prairie trails. We hiked the mown trails through tall grasses, stunningly gold in color, and as tall as us, in most areas.

We took the trail that leads down to the border of Big Woods State Park. As we walked along the edge of the park, it started to drizzle and I could hear the droplets landing on the dried leaves of the forest floor. It was a lovely sound.

Then the raindrops became heavier and we found ourselves walking in the rain…but only for a little while (and it was quite pleasant walking in the rain). The rain quickly stopped and soon the sun was breaking through in full force, and by afternoon the sky was cloudless.

We were in awe of the beauty of the golden grass on the prairie, with a slight wave in the wind, against different backdrops: two historic churches, the cospe of white birch trees, the state park and surrounding horizon.

We found our way to Hidden Falls 2 (for lack of a better name). The creek bed was dry and the water over the falls had frozen in place, into an immobile cascade. It seemed like time was standing still – until next spring, I guess. But, it too, had it’s own beauty.

We had the area to ourselves…no evidence of people or animals…and we continued to hike this on this splendid property maintained by The Valley Grove Preservation Society. I’m grateful for their work on behalf of this magnificent section of a Minnesota prairie.

A mown path through tall prairie grass, that doesn’t look so tall in the photo.

This is the corner of the Valley Grove cemetery where the beloved Old Oak Tree stood for 200 years, and was blown over during the 2018 tornado.

We were happy to get some fresh air and exercise before heading to downtown Northfield to support “Small Business Saturday”, where we did finish our Christmas shopping that afternoon…in the sunshine.

A Wildflower Walk

Hidden Falls in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Years ago my friend and I went on several wildflower walks with a naturalist and learned the names of wildflowers. I still recognize many of the flowers, and remember some of names, but have forgotten many too. None-the-less, I love walking through the woods, looking at the spring wildflowers.

I qualify these walks as walks, not hikes, because it’s a slow, meandering pace. On this day, I took a lot of photos of the flowers in hopes of identifying the ones I didn’t remember, from my books at home. I think I identified most of these correctly. It was definitely a fun exercise.

One of the flowers I’m always thrilled to see is the dwarf trout lily. I know a spot where one, yes – one, blooms and I look for it every year. Sometimes I miss seeing it in bloom, but I didn’t miss out this year. Dwarf trout lilies only bloom in three counties of Minnesota, and no where else on earth. That’s fascinating to me.

The dwarf trout lily…kind of hidden in this photo…bottom third, left of center…tiny bloom.

Putting my finger near the dwarf trout lily bloom, for perspective.

However, the white trout lily is prolific…and carpets the ground many places throughout the park.

The white trout lilies one of two wildflowers that was a ground cover in this park

My all time favorite wildflower is Spring Beauty. I love the delicate pink flowers.

Some wildflower names seem sensible, others are odd and not very “flowery’…There is one called bloodroot, but I didn’t see it…I believe it’s done blooming.

According to lists from the park office there are many wildflowers in the park that, of course, bloom in different seasons. I have always focused on spring flowers.

“There is poetry among the wildflowers.” (Rachel Irene Stevenson) I enjoyed the poetry of the wildflowers this day.

The may apple bud..underneath the foliage…this is ready to bloom into a white flower. You have to look underneath the leaves to find the bloom.

A carpet of rue anemone covered several areas of the ground in the park.

Another quote: “Wildflowers aren’t meant to be cut & tamed. They’re meant to be loved & admired.” (Anthony T. Hincks) I do love and admire the wildflowers.

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is a wonderful place to look for wildflowers. I believe it’s one of the best parks, near Northfield, to see so many spring wildflowers in bloom. It sure showed off it’s finery the day I went for a wildflower walk there.

Muddy Trails

Last week, after the rains and before the string of beautiful sunny days, a friend and I went for a hike in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.

It was green. It was lush. It was muddy.

First we walked down the steps to take a look at Hidden falls which was very full and gorgeous. The sound of the water falling over the rock bed is mesmerizing.

Next we decided to cross the river which required carefully stepping on wet blocks, with water flowing over them, to get to the other side. We held our breath as we slowly stepped on each block.

Once safely across, we started down the trail only to find lots and lots of mud. We had to navigate each step forward. Thankfully we had hiking poles, and thankfully neither one of us fell in the slippery mud.

The muddy trails did not take away from our observations. On this cloudy day, in addition to seeing the beautiful overflowing falls, we saw several spring wildflowers…

and the best sighting of all…a Scarlet Tanager, a stunning, red bird.

Nerstrand is a wonderful park. This park is poetry to me. I have been going to this park even before we moved to the area 25 years ago and it holds a special place in my heart. I have many good memories of hiking, skiing, and camping…family times, winter picnics, summer picnics…and much more.

For me, Nerstrand is a wonderful place to get away, yet be so close to nature, to God, and so close to home!