This report is written by Lorraine Anderson (lorraine@bwca.cc). She is part of a group of three seniors that have been looking at wildflowers in Cook County, Minnesota. They have gone out almost every Wednesday for over 20 years and love it, even in the winter. But of course there aren't any flowers in the winter!!

Wednesday Wildflower Report: July 2, 2003
New flowers this week were: Beach Pea, Purple Vetch, Hoary Alyssum, Cow Parsnip, Thimbleberry, Bush Honeysuckle, Tall Meadow Rue and on the shores of Lake Superior: Three-toothed cinquefoil and the beginnings of Harebells.
After checking some of the flowers and plantings around town we headed for the Trout Lake Road and stopped at Mink Lake. We enjoyed the Iris and the general forest floor. We then went to see the Yellow Coralroot at the Camp intersection. We only found two. Then to the parking lot for Mink Lake Beach and found the trail to Boys Lake but by the time we knew (by asking) it was the right trail we were too hot and buggy to continue. Lunch at B's bug free kitchen.

We had a special treat during the week. Along county road #7 just as it reached #61 on the west end we saw a large and very beautiful flower. We stopped to examine it. We had never seen it before and Moyle & Moyle say that - "Occurrence; Minnesota - sandy prairies in central and west". How did it ever get up here in north-eastern Minnesota? There were two spikes of Large-flowered Penstemon - Penstemon grandiflorus. It will be fun watching the spot next year.

Flowers we found Blooming:

Alyssum, Hoary - Berteroa incana *
Blue-eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium ssp.
Buckwheat, Climbing False - Polygonum scanclens
Bunchberry - Cornus canadensis
Buttercup, Tall or Common - Ranunculus acris
Caraway - Carum carvi
Chickweed, Common - Stellaria media
Cinquefoil, Three-toothed - Potentilla tridentata *
Clover, Sweet, Yellow - Melilotus officinalis
Clover, Purple, Pink - Trifolium ssp.
Columbine - Aquilegiaa canadensis
Columbine, Garden or European - Aquilegia vulgaris
Coralroot, Yellow - Corallorhiza ochrokuea *
Daisy, Ox-eye - Chrysanthemum leucanthemum
Dogbane, Spreading - Apocynum androsaemifolium
Harebell - Campanula rotundifolia *
Hawkweed, Orange - Hieracium aurantiacum
Hawkweed, Yellow - Hieracium scabrum
Iris, Blue Flag - Iris versicolor
Lily-of-the-Valley, Wild - Maianthemum canadense
Lily, Small Yellow Pond - Nuphar microphyllum
Linnea, Twinflower - Linnea borealis
Lupine - Lupinus polyphyllus
Meadow Rue, Tall - Thalictrum polygamum *
Moccasin-flower, Pink - Cypripedium acaule
Parsnip, Cow - Heracleum maximum *
Pea, Beach - Lathyrus japonicus *
Pitcher-plant - Sarracenia purpurea
Rose - Rosa ssp.
Silverweed - Potentilla anserina
Sorrel, Sheep - Rumex acetosella
Trefoil, Bird's-foot - Lotus corniculatus
Vetchling, Pale - Lathyrus ochroleucus
Vetch, Purple - Vicia americana *
Wintergreen, One-flowered - Moneses uniflora
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium

Trees & Shrubs we found Blooming:

Ash, Mountain, American - Sorbus americana
Chokecherry - Prunus virginiana
Cranberry, Highbush - Viburnum trilobum
Dogwood, Red-osier - Cornus stolonifera
Honeysuckle, Bush - Dievervilla lonicera *
Lilac, Common (Old fashioned) - Syringa vulgaris
Maple, Moose or Mountain - Acer spicatum
Thimbleberry - Rubus occidentalis *

* - new this week