Bearberry, photo by Lorraine A. Anderson

August 4th, 2004 - Report by

It was just the two of us after coffee time and we decided to go out to Artist Point to see Brook Lobelia. We first went towards the lighthouse and found several areas with them. We crouched down or layed on our stomachs to take pictures. There is a small white aster out there with a yellow center and we can't find it in our books. The name Hudsonian Aster comes to mind but that's all. We also saw a small Goldenrod that looked to us like Grey Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis but there are so many Goldenrods that we are not sure. Potentilla fruiticosa - Shrubby Cinquefoil were small but still had its bright yellow flowers.
We then went over to the "artist" side. It's amazing with all the traffic that there is still a nice variety of vegetation. The two things that were outstanding to us were a Bearberry plant with both flowers and berries at the same time and we saw several patches of Sundew. The only place we have seen Sundew is in the bog and Artist Point seems to me a far cry from a bog.
The day was perfect. We had lunch at a picnic table in Boulder Park on the shore of Lake Superior.

Thursday August 5, 2004

We went to the Little John parking lot at the (almost) end of the Arrowhead Trail. We parked the car and gathered our walking sticks, water, flower books and camera's. We walked a block or two continuing along the Arrowhead Trail turning right at the Border Route Trail. I had seen interesting foilage there last fall of Naked Miterwort, Goldthread, Pipsissewa, Hepatica and Large Round-leaved orchid Platanthera orbiculataa. The first part of the walk was a bit challenging but after about a quarter of a mile we were in an area of mostly very large Cedar and very large Aspen which made a rather clear understory. We did see the foilage of them and also blooming Pipsissewa and probably a dozen Large-Round-leaved orchids. Never before had we seen so many. Then, new to me were about six Rattlesnake plantain Tesselated - Goodyera tesselata and one Small Northern bog-orchid (or Onee-leaf Rein-orchis) Platanthera obtusa (or Habenaria obtusa) depending which book you look at.
We had lunch at the Picnic Grounds overlooking McFarland Lake. What a wonderful day, the weather couldn't be better, two new Orchids to add to my life list, and good company to explore with.

See what we found last year at this time of year!

Be sure to stop back throughout the Summer to see our weekly wildflower reports from Lorraine Anderson of Grand Marais, Minnesota.