The Paul Bunyan Trail is a paved recreational trail in northern Minnesota that runs 120 miles from Brainerd to Bemidji. It is an ideal route for biking and running in the summer and for snowmobiles in the winter. The photos below are from a recent bike ride in the middle of the trail, between Hackensack …
Tag Archives: wildflowers
Native Flowering Shrubs
From late May through mid-June, we have noticed a succession of native shrubs blooming in north-central Minnesota. Each of them has similar small white flowers, and seemingly take turns blooming one after another. Serviceberry was first, in late May. It was followed by Red-osier Dogwood, then Viburnum in mid-June. Serviceberry Red-osier dogwood Viburnum Two species …
Water Lily Pollination
Many Fragrant Water Lilies (Nymphaea odorata) bloom in our lake in July and August. The flowers are showy yet I had not noticed insects attracted to them, which caused me to wonder about its strategy for pollination. Investigation revealed that these plants have a very interesting reproduction process. Each flower of the Fragrant Water Lily …
Wildflowers Flourishing in Dry Utah
The summer of 2021 has been exceptionally dry in Utah. Despite this several hardy wildflowers are flowering along hiking trails at high elevations east of Salt Lake City. Think of the water that could be saved by replacement of grass lawns with attractive plants like these.
August Favorites
The slideshow below features photos of wildflowers seen in our area in late summer. Sunflowers The website Minnesota Wildflowers lists ten species of sunflowers within the genus Helianthus. The ‘Picture This’ app made the species identifications listed above.
Bee Balm with Insects
During these last days of July our blooming bee balm plants (Monarda fistulosa) have been a hive of activity for insects and an occasional hummingbird. The hummingbirds were too skittish to capture in a photo, but the insects were too busy to notice my presence. Two-spotted Bumblebees When the sun is out two-spotted bumble bees …
Early July Favorites
July brings a distinct group of attractive wildflowers, including our state flower, the Showy Lady Slipper. Showy Lady Slipper (Cypripedium Reginae) Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis)
Early June Favorites
Returning to Minnesota lake country in early June, we were happy to see several favorite roadside wildflowers. The slideshow below shows four small beauties. Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) Bunchberry Dogwood (Cornus canadensis) Canada Anemone (Anemonidium canadense)
Wildflower Roundup
White Rattlesnake-root (Prenanthes alba) White rattlesnake-root, also known as White Lettuce, is a shade-loving member of the aster family that flowers in the late summer. The plant pictured was in a wooded section of the Paul Bunyan Trail north of Hackensack Minnesota. Native Americans used Rattlesnake-root for many medicinal purposes. In particular, the Iroquois used …
A very different wildflower
Indian pipe is different from any of the plants previously shown in this blog. It also has the most interesting survival strategy. Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) Unlike most plants, Indian Pipe has no chlorophyll and does not depend on the sun. This clump of it was thriving in a deeply shaded forest setting. However it …
North MN Outdoors 