Tag Archives: Wildflowers

And the Hunt for Orchids Begins

June 6, 2020 Troy

Near the beginning of this year I began to make a few plans this summer to search for more wild orchids. Last year I found 6 of Minnesota’s wild orchids and my goal this year is to add 4 more. That would make 25% of Minnesota’s native species of orchids. While formulating places and times to search for some of these, the Showy Orchis was on my list for a couple of reasons. First, it’s the earliest of wild orchids to bloom. Secondly, it’s supposedly blooming within 10 minutes of my house making it an easy one to add to the list. Memorial Day weekend was my plan for searching for blooming orchids. A couple of weeks earlier I began scouting possible locations for this species which I briefly wrote about in A Cold Mid May Morning. Then a few days later I heard they were found at the very same park I was searching at before. Unfortunately I had to end my search the week before as there were things that needed to be done. So I returned and continued to the location I was heading for initially and there they were. If I had been able to keep going I would have found them as they were beginning to open their beautiful pink and white flowers with a addicting sweet fragrance.

Unfortunately it was a cloudy night with daylight fading so capturing these first orchids of the year would be more of a challenge. I still took time to photograph them just in case this would be the only time I see them this year. I found a cup nearby which someone had dropped or lost and used that as a makeshift tripod and began clicking away trying to find the best composition to show their interesting flowers. After some time I moved on just to see if there were populations in other areas wondering how well established they were in this park. Unfortunately that was the only spot I managed to find the Showy Orchis on this trip but I did find a couple of other fun things.

One of these was mamma duck escorting her newly hatched little ducklings around the edge of a pond. Staying and watching for more time would have been a lot of fun but my goal was to find orchids, not baby ducks so I moved on. Along the way I also came across Nodding Trillium which was a little surprising to me. Trillium is one of my favorite spring wildflowers and one I’m working on establishing in my own yard. Both of these findings help identify when the Showy Orchis is most likely blooming. The calendar is great but it doesn’t take into account the differences in spring weather which affect plant growth and blooming time. Having some other indicators can be quite helpful for a higher probability of success. Off to a good start! I hope my next wild orchid hunt returns the success I’ve experienced already.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Third Times a Charm

April 18, 2020 Troy

It took several weeks of searching but finally, near the end of the day, I came across the Pasque Flowers I have been looking for. It really was somewhat of an accident that I found them. Heading out to a Prairie area where they have been seen in past years I first headed to a small pond to see what migrating ducks may have searched out a resting area. Getting to the pond I sat down for a couple of hours to enjoy some sunshine as snow was predicted to hit the area the next day. Looking out over the pond I could see at least a dozen pairs of Bufflehead ducks swimming and diving for food. While watching them some creature popped up out of the water right in front of me.

It took a few seconds to identify exactly what it was but I quickly realized it was a muskrat. Last year there was a beaver on this pond so at first I was trying to figure out if it could be that. As soon as the muskrat popped up I thought it was going to come ashore right in front of me as it didn’t seem to know I was there. It turned just before shore and swam parallel to it and climbing out of the water onto a nearby fallen tree. Once this fuzzy animal swam out of sight I caught a large bird flying across the pond and land directly across from me. The behavior was very much like a big hawk so I kept on eye out for it to take to the sky soon after. Returning my attention to the ducks for awhile I realized that I never saw this bird leave so I began to scan the shoreline but couldn’t really make out anything moving over there. Grabbing the camera with a longer lens I once again scanned the shoreline. This time I spotted a large predator resting on a downed tree branch.

Looking closer and focusing in on this bird revealed a Great Horned Owl sitting there. This seemed very unusual to have an owl flying during the day, although it was more evening now, and the clouds had covered the sky creating somewhat darker conditions. It was the first time I had ever seen this particular owl before making it a great treat for the day. As I watched this owl through the camera over the next hour or so it mostly rested with its eyes closed and preened in between resting. A lot of fun to watch. When it first landed there the ducks quickly swam to another part of the pond but soon returned as you can see in the picture below. Either they weren’t really concerned with the owl or forgot it was there. Ducks do seem to have a short memory at times although they rarely seem to forget I’m there. With the evening progressing and I was getting cold from a north wind now blowing more fiercely, it was time to continue on my exploration for the Pasque Flower. There was one more area that I wanted to search.

Moving along the trail with more speed than when I arrived, darkness seemed to be arriving way to fast. Making a bad decision at a trail crossing nearby added at least another 10 minutes to my time getting to the place I planned to search. Eventually I arrived but didn’t locate anything that even remotely looked like it was ready to flower. Now a little disappointed once again I spotted a large bird out of the corner of my eye. Wondering what it was, and also wondering what may be up and over the hill next to me I decided to briefly leave the trail and head towards the top of the hill and see if I could figure out what this bird was. As I was climbing I saw little purple flowers almost beneath me. Pasque Flowers! I had finally found them. Looking over the area I cold see others sticking their fuzzy little purple flowers out of the cold ground ready for spring. Unfortunately this area was now shaded and any attempts at good photos would have to wait until another time.

Sadly, going back a week later, the cold had damaged many of the flower petals while deer had eaten others. Better photographs will have to wait until another spring. It was still a great adventure and I’m not sure what was more exciting – finally finding the Pasque Flowers or seeing a Great Horned Owl.

Photos, Troy's Blog, Wildflowers

The Trillium Are In Bloom

June 15, 2019 Troy

I love spring! There’s so much life filling the landscape. One of my favorite wildflowers though are Trillium. Driving by a hillside before the leaves have fully covered the trees and seeing a hillside full of white blooms is a very calming sight. Those large, white flowers sitting a top of three leaves are often Trillium grandiflorum in the upper Midwest. The most common of the Trilliums in this area. Unfortunately that spring display doesn’t last very long so the timing has to be just right. But if you come across an area filled with Trillium at just the right time, you’ll know what I’m saying. A beautiful display worth taking some time to enjoy.

At the end of May I joined another photographer to see what was in bloom at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis. Having been there a few times before I knew they had Trillium and I was hoping I wasn’t too late to see their beautiful flowers. First walking in I saw a couple of these plants displaying flowers that had already turned mostly brown and was a little disappointed fearing I was already too late. Fortunately as we walked further into the gardens there were others in peak bloom allowing me to get a few nice photographs to begin the summer. Exploring further revealed other types of Trillium also in bloom such as the red flowered Trillium in the photo above.

A few other kinds of these beautiful flowered plants were also in bloom. The nodding Trillium seen above has the flowers bent towards the ground instead of displayed above its leaves and there’s a yellow blooming type also in flower. These yellow and red flowered Trillium have smaller blooms than the white ones but also have unique, mottled leaves for added interest. Often when first showing people Trillium plants they first step back. They think of the rule of three leaved plants – leaves of three, leave it be. That’s because Poison Ivy has three leaves and they don’t want to get near it for fear of an allergic reaction. When I explain the difference between Poison Ivy and Trillium (and if I’m lucky I can show the difference), they relax and begin to enjoy these beautiful mid-spring flowers. Maybe this would be a good plant to add into my own landscape at home?

Troy's Blog, Wildflowers

Early Spring in the Woods

April 18, 2015 Troy

We had a few absolutely beautiful spring days with temperatures in the upper 60’s to lower 70’s and I couldn’t stay inside and take care of the many things needing attention. I had to escape to the outdoors and go exploring. The first flowers of the spring were just beginning to open up providing a comfort in knowing that winter has lost its grip once again and it is time for our landscapes to come alive. In searching for these early signs of life I learned that the flowers that bloom before the trees leaf out are called ephemeral flowers. Time well spent avoiding the to-do lists as these types of days are limited each year and must be taken advantage of if at all possible. The photo above is of bloodroot growing under the protection of a massive oak tree. Below is moss which has the old spores from last season along with new spores for the current season. The last photo is of a rue anemone. All of these flowers opened up while I was exploring the woods they were found in making it fun to witness.

Troy's Blog, Wildflowers

Wildflowers of Yosemite

August 4, 2012 Troy

One of the wild orchids found in Yosemite – a spotted coralroot.

In this cluster of Applegate’s Paintbrush the flowers ranged from orange to yellow. One of the yellow flower heads can be seen in the background near the top.

Some Western Wallflowers near a fallen sequoia that has survived a forest fire.

A close up of an Iris.

Another Iris with a wild strawberry flowering in the left side of this photograph.

I’ve been unable to identify this flowering shrub at this point so any help would be appreciated.

This appears to be some sort of Locust Tree in bloom.

Maybe not a flowering plant but I loved the bright green moss covering the bark of these trees.

The moss close up.

This hillside was devoid of any other vegetation but these snowflowers insisted on flowering.

One of the snowflowers close-up. They were near the end of their blooming period.

White cinquefoils in full bloom.

Wild Lupines were blooming in many areas of Yosemite during June. Many of them were 3 – 4 feet tall along the roadside while others were maybe a foot in height like this one.

The Mountain Dogwoods were near the end of their flowering stage but there were still a few showing off for us.

It’s amazing where plants can live. Even under this boulder phlox can survive.

Gaining Life Experience