This is the beginning of our 23rd year of looking at wildflowers in Cook County, MN. We are three senior women who just love to get out and explore and learn new things. We are even getting together all winter but don't find too many flowers at that time, but no matter.

Wednesday, May 19th, 2004

After 22 years of looking at flowers weekly one would think there was nothing new. Well, this year the spruce have a lot of cones and apparently the Red Maples decided to bloom up a storm. Previously we were aware of one beautiful Red Maple - now the blooming trees are all over!! The male has red-yellow flowers and the female very red flowers. This is the season for Spring ephemerals, especially in maple woods. We have a favorite spot off the Caribou Trail on Ward Lake Road where the ground is literally covered with Dutchman's-breeches and Spring Beauty it just feels and smells so good. We then went to the Two Island Road thinking we would see Trout Lily's but in addition to the above two we saw lots of Bloodroot. We have seen more Bloodroot this year than any other year - I guess it is the year of the Bloodroot!! We then went to the spot on the Superior Hiking Trail where we were the first week in May - we had missed the peak but did find, for the first time this year Large-flowered Bellwort. Last week I said we only saw Marsh Marigolds in bud and the next day on Highway 61 from my house to town there were many beautiful open ones. During our day we saw a few Wood Anemone in the woods and Early Sweet Coltsfoot along the roadside, Wild Ginger along the Superior Hiking Trail, Pussytoes in the church lawn and of course lots of Dandelions in town - we do well growing them.

Click here for the most recent report!

  Here are some early bloomers to look for in the area:

 

Anemone, Wood - Anemone quinquefolia

Arbutus, Trailing - Epigaea repens
Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis

Dandelion, Common - Taraxicum officinale

Dutchman's Breeches - Dicentra cucullaria

Early Sweet Coltsfoot - Petasites palmatus

Hazelnut, Corylus

Marsh-marigold - Caltha palustris (Cowslip)
Pussytoes, Field - Antennaria neglecta

Red Maple - Acer rubrum

Spring Beauty - Claytonia verginica

Strawberry, Common - Fragaria virginiana
Violets

Be sure to stop back throughout the spring and summer 2004 to see our weekly wildflower reports from Lorraine Anderson of Grand Marais, Minnesota.