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This is the beginning of our 24th 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.

Meadowsweet - Photo by Mary Storland

 

August 3rd, 2005 - Report by

Earlier we went on some orchid walks with our friends from Georgia. On July 20th we went to The Fen and saw Ragged Fringed Orchids and Hooded Ladies' -tresses. In the first part of August we went up the Arrowhead Trail stopping first at the parking lot for the Superior Hiking Trail goingeast. We were looking for the Long-brachted Orchid that I had previously seen 7/29/03. We were very pleased and excited to find it again. We then went to the end of the Trail and parked at the Little John Parking lot to get on the Border Route Trail. We were looking for the orchids we saw last year. They were there but past their peak in blooming: Large Round-leaved Orchid, Small-northern Bog-orchid and Tessellated Rattlesnake Plantain.

It's Fisherman's Picnic time in Grand Marais, the first weekend in August and that usually is time to have a good picking of blueberries and raspberries.

Now for our Wednesday Adventure. We went first to our new flower Blue Vervain (read more about it here) so B could see it. There is some confusion between books as to the name. It was identified by us in Peterson's Field Guide. Then on to Caribou Trail. We stopped at the Garden Clubs garden at the beginning of the Trail and enjoyed looking at it. We turned left on Honeymoon Trail and another left on Barkers Lake road where we saw a very large display of Virgin's Bower, Wild Bergamot (a first for us) and another first was Wild Marjoram (identified in Newcomb). We then went farther up the Caribou Trail to a new place for us to stop at - Will's Lake - Grouse, Woodcock Management Area. It was an easy walk - an old forest road - mowed too - but the bugs were bad and we didn't bring our bug nets or long sleeved shirts so we didn't go as far as we might have. We are going there again. Where we parked the car there was the biggest display of Eyebrite and then later on another big display of Pearly Everlasting. Then up to the Grade and down Bally Creek Road.

Other flowers we saw were: Joe Pye*, Narrow leafed Arrowroot, Jewel Weed, White and Blue Asters, Meadowsweet, a very large amount of Fireweed*, Canada Thistle, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Black-eyed Susan, Evening Primrose, Tansy, Daisy Fleabane, Yarrow, Rough Bedstraw, Campion, large Butter 'n eggs, Dogbane, Spotted Knapweed (considered invasive).

 

 

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