Wildflowers with some Fiddle heads thrown in for fun.

Each spring I delight in looking for wildflowers in our area of Central Minnesota.  This year it has been difficult because of the late spring.  I have a few favorite places where I know I will find wildflowers each year.  I visit those places each week in search of the flowers I think should be blooming at this time of year.

This morning I visited one of my favorite spots along the Mississippi River in Little Falls, Minnesota.  I was searching for Bloodroot which is usually one of the first wildflowers to bloom in our area.  I found White Trout Lillies first.  Here is what they look like growing near the Mississippi River in a wooded area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I found the Bloodroot.  They were not as plentiful as the White Trout Lily but they are some of my favorites.  Before their flowers open they remind me of miniature tulips.  I wish they bloomed longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After I found the Bloodroot I got a couple of shots of the ferns starting to shoot up. and that’s where the Fiddleheads thrown in for fun comes in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I headed over to another favorite wildflower place in Little Falls, Minnesota, Pine Grove Park.  It was there that I found the Trillium just starting to bloom.  Next week they should be in full bloom which is always fun.

 

Last but not least were the Hepatica.  I love how these wildflowers come in various hues from white to blue with a little bit of purple on occasion.

Have a great weekend.  I am hoping to enjoy the rain we desperately need this weekend while reading a good book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

 

Wildflower Wednesday Revisited

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On Memorial Day when my husband and I were out for a motorcycle ride I spotted some wildflowers on the roadside of a nearby country road. Since taking pictures from the back seat of a motorcycle rarely goes that well I decided to take my camera and drive to the country road last evening after work to find the wildflowers I had spotted.

I was pleased to find the Wild Geranium and the Columbine that I was looking for along the roadside. After I parked my car to take pictures I wandered along the road and found some Pussy Toes and Wild Strawberry plants. The Pussy Toes that I found in my yard earlier this spring were not as large or the pastel pink color of the flowers I found today.

There was a nearby gravel road that meandered off the road I had parked on and I decided to walk up the road a bit to see if I could find anything new. I was excited to find a Nodding Trillium along the side of the road. I almost missed it because the flower for the Nodding Trillium is under a triple set of leaves. I recognized the leaves but thought I might find a Jack-in-the-pulpit under the leaves but when I moved them I discovered the Nodding Trillium.

I have looked for wildflowers for the past four or more years in our area ever since I took a class at the local arboretum. This is the first year since my class that I have found the Nodding Trillium. It makes me want to look under every leaf to see what hidden treasure might be there.

 

Wildflower Wednesday

By now I am afraid that my regular readers may be tired of my obsession with wildflowers. Today as part of my usual Wednesday routine of an early morning bible study and transferring motor vehicles titles I once again visited some of my favorite places looking for what is new in the wildflower department in our part of central Minnesota. I was not disappointed.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I was happy to see that the Trillium were still blooming along with the violets. I even saw some Trillium in wooded areas just off the road I was driving this morning. I visited a park near the Mississippi River and found my first Jack-in-the-pulpit and Columbine of the season. Then I drove over to Pine Grove Park and found a couple of plants that have blossoms that aren’t yet open and I can’t seem to identify them yet. I will have to wait for them to open to decide what they are for sure. Without knowing the color of the flower it’s sometimes hard to figure out what it is.

On the way home I saw some Winter Cress along a farm field. There was plenty of yellow out there but mostly dandelion and very little Winter Cress except in a few places.

After work today I went over to my brother-in-law’s home to check on the progress of the Lady Slippers. They have some plants in the woods near their home. They aren’t quite open yet so I will have to wait a few days before I take some pictures.

This morning on my way into town for bible study I drove past a friend’s home and saw a pheasant standing on top of a rock she has in her yard in the middle of her garden. I thought that is a really cool statue of a pheasant and then it moved. A real pheasant had perched itself on top of the rock in the garden. I wasn’t quick enough with the camera so I will have to be better prepared next time.

 

May Moving Mania: The Revolving Door

It’s that time of the year again. My home is bursting at the seams. College is done for the spring semester and my daughter is home until the middle of July.

Last evening my husband, daughter and I took the pickup truck and trailer and headed to St. Cloud after work. We needed to move her large things from her apartment home until she moves into her new apartment in July. She already brought a car load of items home after finals but needed help with the large stuff.

Her apartment is on the second floor but the apartment itself sits on the top of a hill above the parking lot so its like she is on the third floor by the time you carry everything in or out of the apartment.

As we were carrying out her box spring, mattress, TV, desk, refrigerator, chair, bookcase, shelving unit,couch and some smaller items I thought back to the past few years and just about every May has been a moving month along with August. This year is no different with one exception. When we move our son the end of this month it will be the last time for a very long time. He bought his own home.

I’m glad I don’t own an apartment building or rental property. The walls in the stairway and doors show wear from the constant moving of stuff in or out. We don’t own rental property but our home is also starting to show wear from moving kids in and out. Last evening we once again moved furniture in the family room to make room for the extra furniture until July.

Each time they move from one place to the next they seem to accumulate more furniture. This time my daughter added a couch to her stuff that a friend gave her for her next apartment. Last month my girls bought a table, set of four chairs, and a bakers rack for their new kitchen which now reside in my sun room.

My mom and dad updated their appliances last month and gave our son their old appliances which now reside in the garage until the end of the month. Great deal for him since appliance were not included in the house he bought. The timing is perfect except it would of been nice to be able to move them directly to his new home without a pit stop in the garage.

My mind is already rocketing forward to the end of this month, July and imagining the moving of more stuff. I hope my daughters’ new apartment has easy access and is on the main floor. I know my son’s new home will be an easy move in his front door just four steps up or four steps down and you can back right up to our front door and his.

I think a minimalist theme would be an excellent new choice for my life and children. I like traveling light maybe I could start living light, less stuff = more happiness

For your viewing enjoyment this morning, a slideshow of some the wildflowers I found yesterday morning.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.