The Minnesota State Flower the Showy Lady's Slipper is in full bloom.
Such a beautiful flower.
We enjoy seeing them in the wild. In this area you could see them way far back into the woods.
I mowed the yard again, Far Guy picked up twigs and did some trimming around trees. It was a chilly, windy day. It didn't make 70 F all day.
Far Side
Dave invited us down to see the Lady’s Slippers. He lives on the property that we used to own…Pine Springs Resort…it is no longer a resort but a private home.
Far Guy found these Lady Slippers in June way back in about 1987, there were two blooms that year, peaking up around a log on the log pile.
We built a fence to protect them and from then on we have enjoyed seeing the clump get larger and larger.
I counted at least 75 blooms this year. 2 blooms that first year and 29 years later there are over 75…amazing!
They are just beautiful! Her real name is Cypripedium reginae or Showy Lady’s Slipper the State Flower of Minnesota.
Here is one view of the lake.
I kinda miss living on the lake, Far Guy does not. We met many wonderful people from all walks of life and it was a good place to raise teenage girls. Neither of us miss cleaning cottages, and Far Guy doesn’t miss the 90 mile one way compute to work. He commuted daily for just about ten years.
Come along for a walk! It is June and there many new things to see along the driveway!
Smooth Solomon’s Seal or Polygonatum biflorum a Native Plant
The wild raspberries are looking good, we should have a good crop if we can stand to fight the skeeters.
This is Lonicera sempervirens a yellow variety, I sold this plant at the greenhouse and planted one out around the grain bin…mine died but it seems the birds have carried it all over the woods.
The yellow Lady’s Slipper was showing off. Her real name is Cypripedium parviflorum. She is perhaps my favorite flower…but you all probably know that.
We have seven Yellow Lady’s Slippers along the back driveway this year…so far…there may be a few more in a day or two.
This is a new addition to the driveway. Josh and Missy put up a flat stone with a small flower bed. The grass he seeded around it is coming up nicely. Josh is my nephew and he lives next door.
Seven, Five and Eight! Those are the numbers of Yellow Lady’s Slippers along the back drive.
In 2013 we had seven blooms, 2014 five and this year we have eight blooms.
Here are six and there is another hiding in the brush.
This one is quite stately and closer to the road.
So this one makes eight!
I am thrilled that they are doing so well this year since it was such a horrid winter for many plants.
My Lupines all winterkilled…not enough snow and my Iris croaked too. The Roses are looking better after I trimmed back some dead wood.
The Veronica is blooming.
Veronica makes the wild gardens look like they have water in them. This Veronica ‘Blue Bouquet’ reseeds itself all over…and when you have wild gardens that is a good thing.
Campanula glomerata ‘Joan Elliott’ is looking good. She is just starting to form clusters of bellflowers.
Our weather has been wonderfully cool, with rain every other day…the lawn grows really fast….and if you are too busy to mow for a few days you may have to make hay!
June is such a delightful month with something new blooming every few days. The Deer have not eaten my Lilies yet…I am keeping my fingers crossed that they are eating their fill of the peas in the field across the road.
Chance and I took off early Sunday morning. I ordered some blueberries off the fruit truck and they needed to be picked up at 8AM. Far Guy loves blueberries…me not so much.
On the way to the big town…in the middle of the road we saw; a Deer, a Turkey Vulture and a Snapping Turtle. No photos because I was driving!
After the blueberry pickup my reward was being the captain of my own ship so I took off through Tamarac Wildlife Refuge in search of Lady’s Slippers.
The Yellow Lady’s Slippers are just about done.
An insect or animal ate away the front part of the slipper. SO…you can see the runway that starts at the top of the slipper and travels down…this must show up like neon lights to pollinating insects.
These are very small Yellow Lady’s Slippers. A different variety…I have only seen these on the Refuge.
The Minnesota State Flower The Showy Lady’s Slipper. Cypripedium reginae.
Yes they are Orchids. The Showy Lady’s Slippers will be in peak in about a week…Father’s Day right on target. Right now I saw about four clumps in bloom on the 18 mile stretch…but then I was driving…but slow and I stopped and got out of the vehicle to take photos. I didn’t meet one car the entire 18 miles…it was a perfect morning! Chance hung his head out the window almost the entire drive.
There are getting to be a few skeeters in the deep woods. We did see some wildlife…more on that tomorrow.
