Minnesota Lady's Slipper Hillside

Hillside looking West

Yesterday, the phone rang, it was my brother, he said "The hillside is full of Lady Slippers today. You better get over there! " The sun was shining too much for good photographs, so I waited for some clouds to move in, when they finally did late in the afternoon, I put on my very fashionable white socks that go up to my knees over the tops of my pant legs and donned my hiking boots. Chance and Far Guy knew immediately that I was off on a mission. Chance ran to the car and laid down, Far Guy said "Do you want me to go along?" I replied "No, it is not necessary, as I explained my intended route to him."

Hillside looking East

Chance loves these little trips, he is the co pilot and sits in the front seat. We saw a deer, and he growled, the deer made a u turn right in front of the car. We saw some newly blooming white wildflowers, along the short cut, the short cut is a gravel road without too much traffic..I stopped to investigate and was immediately swarmed by a whole bunch of bees. I got right back in the car. Chance looked at me like "Hey, that was quick! " We travelled on, and then we saw a SSSSnake in the road.. can you close your eyes, scream, lift your legs up and still stay on the road and out of the swamp? Well I just about turned around and went back home..but the lure of the hillside was too great. I will have to go back home another way..certainly Far Guy if he comes this way looking for me will see the SSSSnake and know without a doubt that I will not travel this road back. I believe it was a heavily wounded SSSnake..perhaps even dead..

The traffic is horrendous, it is a two lane road, hilly, there is a little trail and approach on the north side of the road where I can safely park out of harms way. Chance knows he is not allowed out of the car on any of these trips. He is content to watch. The hillside is full, I took all of my photographs from the edge of the ditch while standing in the tall grass. Walking among these beautiful Orchids is not on my agenda, I will not trample any of them, they are too beautiful to risk disturbing. The hillside is as heavy in bud as it is in bloom...so it is not in peak bloom yet.

Some cars slowed down, many honked, one slowed down to look and was nearly rear ended by another. Huge semis roar past, the grasses bend and move in the vortex left in their wake. I know that sometime there is going to be a horrific accident on this hillside..and I really don't want to be here when that happens. When the Minnesota Department of Transportation declared this Highway a scenic byway..it was only meant to be viewed at 55 MPH..they failed to think about anyone that may actually want to stop and look. The Lady's Slippers were causing quite the excitement yesterday. Either that or it was my sexy looking socks:)

**Note to new readers, I am allergic to bees, very afraid of snakes, dead or alive, poisonious or non poisonious..and more than two cars on the road at the same time makes me REALLY nervous..but no obstacle is to great when I am on a mission to show you some of the best flowers in Minnesota:)