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 30, 2003
We went to the Fen today. We parked on the Old Ski Hill parking area and went North on the Superior Hiking Trail. It's about 1/2 hr. walk before you get to the Fen. We had hoped to find Orchids but just got hot and tired. Next time we may put a car at both ends so we don't have to double back.
There were some plants we saw that we didn't know their names or didn't remember them. We found a picnic table near the shore by the Recreation center. We could eat lunch and identify plants and still be cool.
The roadsides are with yellow Bird's-foot Trefoil, white Daisies and lavender Fireweed. Soon the Asters and Goldenrod will join them en masse.
On Tuesday I walked the SHT from the Arrowhead Trail. That's where we saw the orchid and quite a few of the other new things for the week as noted below

Flowers we found Blooming:
Aster, Purple & White - Aster ssp. *
Avens, Yellow - Geum aleppicum
Bedstraw, Rough - Galium asprellum *
Bellflower, Creeping - Campanula uliginosa
Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia serotina
Buckwheat, Climbing False - Polygonum scanclens
Buttercup, Tall or Common - Ranunculus acris
Caraway - Carum carvi
Chamomile, Scentless - Matricaria maritima
Chickweed, Common - Stellaria media
Cinquefoil, Rough - Potentilla norvegica
Clover, Hop - Trifolium agrarium
Clover, Purple, Pink - Trifolium ssp.
Clover, Rabbit's-foot - Trifolium arvense
Clover, Sweet, White - Melilotus alba
Clover, Sweet, Yellow - Melilotus officinalis
Daisy, Ox-eye - Chrysanthemum leucanthemum
Dock, Curled - Rumex crispus *
Dogbane, Spreading - Apocynum androsaemifolium
Everlasting, Pearly - Anaphalis margaritacea
Fireweed - Epilobium angustifolium
Fleabane, Daisy - Erigeron strigosus *
Goldenrod - Solidago ssp.*
Hawkweed, Yellow - Hieracium scabrum
Heal-all - Prunella vulgaris
Jewelweed, Spotted - Impatiens capensis *
Lupine - Lupinus polyphyllus
Lychnis, Evening - Luchnis alba
Nettle, White Dead - Lamium album
Nightshade, Smaller Enchanter's - Circaea alpina *
Orchid, Long-bracted - Coeloglossum viride or
Habenaria virdis (depending on how old your book is) *
Parsnip, Cow - Heracleum maximum
Pineapple Weed - Matricaria matricarioides
Pink, Deptford - Dianthus deltoides *
Pipsissewa - Chimaphils umbellata *
Primrose, Evening - Oenothera biennis *
Shinleaf (Pyrola) - Pyrola elliptica
Thistle, Bull - Cirsium vulgare *
Thistle, Canada - Cirsium arvense *
Thistle, Field Sow - Sonchus arvensis *
Trefoil, Bird's-foot - Lotus corniculatus
Willow-herb, Narrow-leaved - Epilobium leptophyllum
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium

Shrubs we found with berries Edible and Non:
Baneberry, Red - Actaea rubra *
Blueberry, Dwarf Sweet - Vaccinium angustifolium *
Bunchberries - Cornus canadensis *
Currant - Ribes *
Dewberry - Rubus pubescens *
Elder, Red-berried - Sambucus pubens
Lily, Blue-bead - Clintonia borealis *
Raspberry - Rubus idaeus *
Strawberry, Common - Fragaria virginiana
Twisted-stalk, Rose - Streptopus roseus *

* - new this week