The MN wildflower blog

Marsh marigold, rue anemone and small white violet are starting to bloom at Sucker Lake, but not much else. I wandered around a part of the woods I hadn’t been to before and came across a patch of what looks like shinleaf. I’ll definitely have to visit there again in mid-June, when it should be blooming.

The Native Plant Society had a field trip to the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden today. There are quite a few plants blooming there now, and even more should blossom next week. We were supposed to tour the woods, wetland and prairie, but we didn’t even get through the woods before we ran out of time. Native species seen blooming there are: sharp-lobed hepatica, cut-leaf toothwort, yellow and white trout lilies, Canada white violet, wild ginger, bloodroot, skunk cabbage, marsh marigold, and snow trillium.

First blooms of the 2009 season at Long Lake Regional Park. I’m glad the honor was given to a native species this year.

I took a couple hours off yesterday to take advantage of the good weather and trekked around part of Battle Creek Park, mostly to get photos of skunk cabbage while I still could, and to see how far along the kittentails were.

Not much is blooming yet. Lots of bloodroot scattered around the woods, and wild ginger is just starting to flower. The kittentails are budding, but not yet in bloom.

This afternoon I took a quick look around the prairie at Long Lake Regional Park and found the prairie smoke already blooming. Pussytoes aren’t quite there yet, but should be blooming next week. The stalks are only about an inch or so tall now, but there are buds on them.

It was a beautiful day today and I took a quick tour around Long Lake Regional Park. In the woods by Rush Lake, I saw the kidney-shaped leaves of little-leaf buttercup coming up. They are one of the early bloomers. The first leaves are coming out on a variety of shrubs, too, mostly gooseberry and elderberry.

On the prairie, prairie smoke is starting to sprout but it will be a few weeks yet before anything blooms. Pussytoes should be leafing up as well, though I didn’t see them.

The skunk cabbage is starting to bloom down at Battle Creek Park. Spring must be here… at last.

Railroads have been a sanctuary for prairie remnants. The right-of-way along the tracks goes largely undisturbed, allowing patches of native plant communities to survive amidst urban development and expanding agriculture.

At Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, one of my favorite places to be, the railroad runs the length of the park, forking at the north end near the old train depot. There are prairie remnants scattered along the tracks, with 2 especially nice spots: one near the fork and another near the swimming beach.

This week I discovered what is most likely the death of one of those remnants.

As part of the Northwest Quadrant Redevelopment project, sections of the railroad tracks are being dismantled. The rails and ties are being piled up next to the tracks near the swimming beach and construction workers and equipment have heavily disturbed the surrounding soil. Last year Nuttall’s evening primrose, wild licorice, Virginia ground cherry, prairie coneflower, butterfly-weed, and a number of native grasses had been found growing there. I have little hope they will survive this and expect to see more sweet clover and spotted knapweed take over in their place.

It makes me very sad.