Field report: May 16, 2009
I spent the day at Wild River State Park, my first trip there this year. My duties in the Prairie Care program had me checking on pussytoes and sandwort. It looks like it will be a good year for pussytoes, but it’s too early to tell on the sandwort.
The large-flowered trilliums are blooming in droves now—there’s millions of them. Also blooming are nodding trillium, early meadow-rue, jack-in-the-pulpit, kittentails, large-flowered and sessile bellworts, prairie buttercup, miterwort, and a variety of violets: bird-foot, prairie, downy yellow, dog, and common blue. Yellow lady’s slipper is starting to bloom, but isn’t quite there yet.
We spent a couple hours in the afternoon spreading seed on a newly-burned part of the prairie. It was a blustery day and the wind did a good job of dispersing the seed. Even so, I had a bunch stuck to my clothes when I got home, enough to plant myself. We’ll see what sprouts. 
Tags: nature, prairie, spring, Wild River, Wildflowers
