The MN wildflower blog

Polygala sanguinea
I think some of the most interesting flowers grow in some type of wetland, and purple milkwort is no exception. This was found growing in a fen. The little spots of yellow are rings of 8 tiny stamens.

Comarum palustre
This evening I went with a group on a nature hike through Tamarack Nature Preserve in Woodbury. The marsh cinquefoil is just starting to bloom there.

Glycyrrhiza lepidota
This photo isn’t special because of some artistic aspect, but because of where it was taken. The plant is a survivor of an area that was devastated by railroad (de)construction (see prior post on the subject [part 2]). All the old rails and ties are still where the RR left them months ago and a few hardy plants have sprouted up around them. If you look closely you can see the rail in the background.

I was very pleased to find this.

You may have to get up pretty early in the morning to see these in full bloom, but it was pretty overcast this morning so I think they stayed open a bit longer than usual.

This is a tiny little flower, barely 1/16 inch in diameter. I’ve wondered what kind of critter goes for such a small flower. I guess now I know.

I like taking photos early in the morning, usually because the light can make everything glow. This morning I got a treat with heavy dew, too.

It’s a pretty thing, but evil nonetheless. It’s invading my favorite park.

Today’s outing was a quest for yellow iris at Long Lake Regional Park. It’s a relatively new invasive species I first found growing there a couple years ago. I volunteered to hunt down all the spots it’s growing for the Ramsey County Cooperative Weed Management Area.

I recorded about 30 spots with 1 or more iris leaf clumps along the west shore of the lake, 12 of which are blooming. Only 2 have been confirmed as blueflag. That’s 10 confirmed clumps of yellow iris. It’s already worse than I thought, and most of the plants aren’t even blooming yet.

A spring drought is tough, but it does mean some areas are accessible that would normally be too mucky to explore. It was in one of those places I came across this.

This is surprisingly inconspicuous for such a tall plant. I was standing right in front of 2 plants near 4 feet tall in full bloom and didn’t even notice them until the sun hit them just right.