Kayak Excursion Big Bass Lake

Big Bass Lake is largely undeveloped, and was terrific to explore in kayaks on Sunday. In it areas of open water are connected by shallower channels.

The shallow channels and the water edges are crowded with lily pads and other vegetation.

Yellow Pond Lily

(Nuphar variegata)

In Big Bass Lake these Yellow Pond Lilies (a.k.a Water Cabbage, Cow Lily, Frog Lily) were interspersed with the more common white water lilies (Nymphaea odorata).

In reading about plants like this, I’m learning that nearly all of them are edible and/or medicinal in some way. Also medicinal properties typically are all over the board. Too complicated to write about all of it, so I won’t bother…

Harlequin Blueflag

(Iris versicolor)

These are scattered around the shore of Big Bass lake. When seeing the first clump, I wondered whether it might be a remnant planting left over from an abandoned cabin. However, they are prevalent and present in totally inaccessible marshy areas, so clearly they are native.

Consulting the Minnesota Wildflowers website, I learned that there are two varieties of native iris in the state. South of the cities Iris virginica predominates, and in the north it is Iris versicolor . The species overlap to some extent, and are roughly similar. The MN wildflower website provides tips to distinguish between the two.

Tufted Loosestrife

(Lysimachia thyrsiflora)

This “tufted loosestrife” is also in marshy areas at the edges of the lake, but it has a small flower much less showy than the iris.

The story behind its name is that Lysimachus, a king of ancient Sicily, once calmed an enraged ox by feeding it some of this plant. So, the plant caused the ox to “loose” “strife”. This must be true — I found it on-line…