Wildflowers – Page 2 – Valerie's Voice

A Prairie Walk

It felt like a fall day. Instead of going to our town’s annual celebration downtown we chose to hike on quiet prairie lands with the only sounds being our voices and the wind rustling through the trees and grass. Clear, blue skies full of sunshine added to the glory of the place. The setting has two picturesque, historic churches facing each other in a well-kept, hill-top cemetery with interesting headstones and scenic views. At the edge of the cemetery is a huge, old burr oak tree. It’s so majestic!

The trail is a wide swath mowed through tall prairie grasses that have a touch of gold to them. Scattered throughout are native, autumn wildflowers in bloom, and off in the distance are trees with hints of fall colors on their leaves. We took a long, leisurely walk and imagined ourselves back in time when many settlers came to live on the prairie in Southeastern Minnesota.

We talked with a volunteer out collecting seeds for planting on this otherwise unoccupied trail. He is on the Preservation Board that concentrates on preserving this prairie land and the two churches. He told us there is a Cemetery Board to care for the cemetery upkeep. Both boards rely on volunteers. We visited with him for a while and thanked him for his work.

The path progressed along to the back of the property, bordering Minnesota Scientific Natural Lands and a state park. A couple years ago we discovered puffball mushrooms along these property lines; white mushrooms the size of soccer balls. We looked for them again this year but only found one misshaped one…hopefully it just the beginning of their growing season and we’ll spot more on our next walk through the prairie…we will go back.

Autumn is in the air.

Minnesota’s Finest Spring Days

Some people quip we Minnesotans live for these amazingly, perfect spring days. After our winters we relish in temperatures of 65-75* and amazing, sunny blue skies. We get out of our houses and enjoy the great, big, beautiful outdoors. These days are definitely dreamy!

Over the weekend we went from spring in the forest (Nerstrand Big Woods State Park) to spring in the city (a walk around Lake of the Isles near downtown Minneapolis). There are so many beautiful evidences of spring and so many photos I wanted to take, but couldn’t because of logistics, but they are in my mind’s eye.

All seasons, but especially spring, has many shades of green. I’m grateful for so many shades of green…I can’t imagine the world with one…only one… shade of green.

The string of beautiful days have been just right for doing almost anything. I spent several hours Saturday cleaning out my own garden.

On Sunday we walked around one of several beautiful city lakes in Minneapolis. Many people were outdoors with us…walking, running, biking, boating, sitting, reading…it was wonderful to see. My husband and I also enjoyed looking at the beautiful homes that surround the lake.

We ended our time in the city visiting our son and his wife and our two and a half-week-old grand-daughter. Another spring beauty!!!

Dwarf Trout Lily

Each year I get excited to see the Dwarf Trout Lily blooming in Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park, one of the only places in the world where it lives. It is a federally endangered forest wildflower found only with in 275 square mile area in Rice and Goodhue Counties, MN. Because it is found in only this small area the dwarf trout lily is considered a Minnesota “endemic” – i.e. a species that grows in Minnesota and nowhere else on earth.*

That is why I go looking for this flower each spring and why I get a thrill seeing it each year. I have found a spot where one blooms so I can find it easily even when the volunteer naturalists are not around.

The Dwarf Trout Lily are miniature…the flower is about the size of a little finger fingernail (therefore very hard to spot.) The common white trout lily is much bigger and is widespread throughout the park.

The forest floor had other spring flowers blooming…the trees were budding out and the colors can only be described as “spring greens” sprinkled with white, pale pinks and yellow. It’s so beautiful.

And then on campus I couldn’t help but notice these bold red tulips near a budding Red Bud.

Ah…spring flowers.

*Biological Report #18 of the MN Natural Heritage Program Section of Wildlife, MN dept. Of Natural Resources.

Spring in Blue

You can’t miss the sea of blue when you drive down 4th Street in our town. There is an amazing display of the blue, spring wildflower, called Scilla or Siberian Squill, covering a most of the yard. It is stunning. The house is pretty charming too, and adds to the overall beauty.

I dug up some scilla from a friend’s yard and transplanted the bulbs into our yard over the weekend. It spreads but it will be years before it looks like the carpet of blue we see this year on 4th Street.

This spring flower blooms in yards all over town…then it dies out and the grass starts to grow and the bulbs lie dormant until the next spring. It is such a gift in early spring, after a Minnesota winter.

Stinging Nettle and an Angel

On our camping trip to Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park we did some hiking (and toured the cave too.) On one hike we had a great, wide trail to walk on but there was a very narrow section that took us through some brush…and Stinging Nettle. We, of course, did not know the nettles were there but we quickly found out even though I’ve never been stung by nettles before we knew the symptoms. It’s distinct!

After pouring some drinking water on our legs we continued to hike on but just a few minutes later we stopped to talk to the camp host who was on his ATV checking on the trail. He was a kind man and eager to talk to us and had a wealth of knowledge about the park and its plants. I asked about nettles. He said there were a lot of Stinging Nettle in the park but he had an antidote…Jewelweed. Within seconds he identified some Jewelweed and picked a few leaves for us to rub on our legs. Almost instantly it took away the sting! We were pleasantly surprised and very happy to run across this angel on the trail. The nettle sting didn’t bother us any more!

Dwarf Trout Lily

This is a re-post from my previous blog site. Looking for the Dwarf Trout Lily has now become an annual spring event for me…I love Nerstrand and wildflowers and springtime and walking in the woods! Naturalists are now in the park on weekends during the Dwarf Trout Lily’s bloom season to point it out to those in search of the precious flower.

My favorite park is Big Woods State Park, or affectionately known as Nerstrand. The maple-basswood forest has lovey trails and a Hidden Falls…and camping. We have camped there several times over the years but since it is really close to where we live I can hop in the car and be there in no time, so I go there often. It’s a favorite place to go…for all seasons.

I go on an annual Dwarf Trout Lily hunt. The Minnesota dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans) is a federally endangered forest wildflower found in Rice, Goodhue, and Steele Counties, Minnesota. Because it is known only from this small area the dwarf trout lily is considered a Minnesota “endemic” – i.e. a species that grows in Minnesota and nowhere else on earth.* Now that’s exciting.

I know one spot on the trail where they bloom among thousands of Common Trout Lilies. So I walk the trail and look for my treasure and when I find it I am delighted to have seen it once again. I use my finger as a reference point for pictures so one can see how tiny the flowers are.

Then I continue to walk along the trail and spy the Marsh Marigolds, Spring Beauties, Anemones, Violets and Dutchman’s Breeches. The trees are starting to but out and the hint of “spring” green is so beautiful. The branches are airy and you can see right through them to the hilly woods that are normally leafed-covered in the summer.

I’m grateful for this gift and the opportunity to experience nature. My heart is joyful and I praise the Lord for the beauty that surrounds me.

* Sather, N. 1990. “Minnesota dwarf trout lily: an endangered Minnesota wildflower.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul. 9 pages.