June seems like the premiere month for wildflowers in our part of North-central Minnesota. This post shares photos of some of our local June wildflowers. They are arranged from those appearing early in the month to those that we see now at June’s end. Early June Hoary Puccoon Lithospermum canescens This is a favorite wildflower, …
Tag Archives: Walker
Summer at the Lake 2024
Simply a collection of good pictures from this season at the lake cabin in North-Central Minnesota. One of the two islands in our lake. This sunflower was a volunteer in our garden. A better result than in years when I had actually planted sunflowers. Looking east at dusk. Fall colors seemed muted this year, maybe …
Signs of Fall in August
Already in August there are clear signs of approaching fall in North-Central Minnesota. It may be that leaves are turning early this year because of our dry conditions. Alder and hazel bushes rimming the shores of our lake are starting to yellow. Staghorn sumac along roadsides is starting to turn red. This maple was red …
October in North Central Minnesota
This year we are in the height of fall colors during the first weekend of October. Saturday was bright and clear Sunday was overcast, but the views were still striking. Maple leaves in the upper row, red oak and hazel leaves in the lower row
Giant Mayfly
Yesterday there were huge numbers of the Giant Mayfly (Hexagenia limbata) covering building surfaces facing the shoreline of Leech Lake in Walker Minnesota. The images below were taken on Walker’s public dock. In the central image above, the Mayfly to the right is male and the one to the left is a female. Males typically …
Winter Survival; Trees
Gentle snow fell in Northwestern Minnesota in early October this year, providing a wintertime preview. Surviving winter temperatures far below freezing is a big challenge for plants and animals. Today’s post focuses on how trees make it through — with some scenic pictures of the recent snow. Trees are largely comprised of water, a critical …
Paul Bunyan Trail in October
Photographs in this posting show off fall scenery near Walker, Minnesota along the Paul Bunyan Trail, a Rails-to-Trails route between Crow Wing State Park and Bemidji (115 miles). This hilly and remote section of the trail, between highways 34 and 371, runs through the Chippewa National Forest. Scenic Overlook Fir and Aspen Forest Views
September Scenery
We took a walk along the Paul Bunyan Trail, north of Hackensack MN, on a gorgeous day in mid September. This post simply intends to share some of the views from along the way. Sumac turning red among paper birch Virginia Creeper climbing in a Green Ash Virginia creeper and its similar species Woodbine are …
Lily Pads
Watershield (Brasenia schreberi) The pads of watershield are slightly smaller than other common lily pads, and they are more elliptical. It blooms throughout the summer, but we did not notice any of the smaller pink-purple flowers. Its most interesting and noticeable feature was a thick coating of very slippery mucilage (slime!) coating the underside of …
Loon Update #1
Below are a few better photos of our loon family — better mainly because I was able to borrow a real camera vs. just using an iphone. Maybe I should go shopping… The image above shows the family of three loons occupying our lake this year. Baby loons, called chicks, can swim nearly immediately after …
North MN Outdoors 