This is the beginning of our 24th year of looking at wildflowers in Cook County, MN. We are three senior women who just love to get out and explore and learn new things. We are even getting together all winter but don't find too many flowers at that time, but no matter.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

When we started out we had planned to go up the Arrowhead Trail, turning off #61 at the North Road #69 but we changed our minds and went up the Camp 20 Road #70. Years ago there was a CCC camp at the end of this road and the Brule River went by it.

We now have a new "Special Area" for spring flowers. As you go up the Camp 20 rd. and park in the parking area for the Superior Hiking Trail going west. All we needed to do was go down the steps a ways. The forest floor was carpeted with Spring Beauty. They look wonderful and also smell wonderful. Looking closer we found a lot of Ginger blooming. Other things blooming were Nodding Trillium & Wood Anemone. But sorry to say we also found our first mosquitoes and black flies - we put on bug dope and hope we remember our nets next week. The leaves on the deciduous trees are still a pale green and the contrast with the evergreens is beautiful especially on distant hillsides. As we drove along we saw many Juneberry shrubs and so VERY MANY Marsh Marigolds , also called Cowslips - we have them a 5 star rating. We saw our first Ox-eye Daisy and a few Bluebells Mertensia paniculata and one Fly Honeysuckle bush. It was a wonderful day. We had lunch at Judge Magney State Park.

 

 

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  Here are some early bloomers to look for in the area:

 

Anemone, Wood - Anemone quinquefolia

Arbutus, Trailing - Epigaea repens
Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis

Dandelion, Common - Taraxicum officinale

Dutchman's Breeches - Dicentra cucullaria

Early Sweet Coltsfoot - Petasites palmatus

Hazelnut, Corylus

Marsh-marigold - Caltha palustris
Pussytoes, Field - Antennaria neglecta

Red Maple - Acer rubrum

Spring Beauty - Claytonia verginica

Strawberry, Common - Fragaria virginiana
Violets

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