Wildflowers: June 10, 2010

Minnesota's State flower or Cypripedium reginae or the Showy Lady's Slipper are beginning to bloom. This is at least a week earlier than most years. We were at the neighbors and they said..take some photos of our Lady  Slippers....so I did.  These are the first ones that we have found in complete bloom, they do have a sunny spot, there was lots of PI(Poison Ivy) in the area..so it was difficult to get close..they keep hollering at me the entire time "Hey Con, watch out for the Poison Ivy." .. helpful neighbors.  Far Guy was of no help, he hollered ""Hey Con, watch out!"  watch out for what..I am half in and out of a sswamp...there is PI and who knowsss what elsssse.  I have seen ssssnakes at this place before, Chance is in the car and Tackle Box is off begging for food from one of the guests, and I do not have my magic red snake repelling boots on.

The Showy Lady's Slippers can be found in our area in the ditches and at the edge of swamps from now through the end of June unless it gets real warm..then they will fade fast. This is just one of my favorite Orchids that are native to Minnesota.

MY garage has been cleaned out in preparation for a garage sale,  the "stuff" is marked and I am ready to make my fortune in the next day or two..I have a great group of gals that are going to join me..we are all going to sell off "stuff" that we no longer use..they have some pretty good "stuff" too as I have already purchased some of it.  Far Guy is dragging his heels, every time I enter his garage and say "Doncha have something over here in this huge mess that you want to sell?"  he gives me one item at a time to dust off and put a price tag on.  Today I suppose he will lock all his doors:)

Wistful Wednesday: Old Recalls

I believe that this photo was taken in 1958 or 1959. This is my brother, my cousin Diane and me. I am the one showing off:) We were at Diane's homeplace, which was south of Lake Park, Minnesota. Their driveway crossed a field, with one lone tree near the side of the road. I always used to think about the story of Zacchaeus when we passed that tree in the drive. Do you remember the song? Why it was associated with that lonely little tree in my brain I will never know. Perhaps the Sunday school lesson was about Zacchaeus one morning and we visited there in the afternoon. Once that song starts up in your head you have to sing the whole thing..

"Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in that tree
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today
For I’m going to your house to stay”

Ok we are past the tree.. the drive headed down to a low place in the road that could get really wet in the spring, then you went up a big hill to the house. The swing set was near the house. My Uncle Theron drove a red and white two tone 1956 Buick, a real pretty car. There was an old barn and some out buildings, we were supposed to stay out of the buildings..there was a lake that may have been more of a pond back behind the barn, pretty good sized too..we used to go over there and horse around..throwing skipping rocks and getting muddy. My Aunt Vivian ( my Mother's sister) who we always called Aunt Skip ( I have no idea why) was a great baker. She would bring deep fried cinnamon rolls out of the deepfreeze, and place them on the counter in the kitchen. Some were covered in white frosting and some were even covered in coconut, others had maple flavored frosting with nuts, and some were plain...us kids didn't care if they were half frozen or not, we loved her homemade rolls.

One spring Uncle Theron built a Quonset type building..and they had a dance out there, I was stuck with a whole bunch of little kids in the house. Being the oldest child on that side of the family and the most responsible kid..I either spent my time taking care of babies or washing dishes.

On my Mom's side of the family, once the babies began to come I always had one or more to take care of, she came from a big family, and my Aunts and Uncles were quite prolific at making babies. I remember when I overheard one of the Aunts whispering about another Aunt.."I think she is PG".. I could not figure that out for the longest time..Pretty Good..Pretty Great..I was good with words. I laid awake at night trying to figure out what PG could possibly mean. ..I finally couldn't stand it any longer. One day I asked one of them right out loud "What is PG?" I believe it was my Aunt Toots ( Esther) who put her arm around my shoulder and told me that PG meant being PREGNANT. WELL, why didn't they just say it..instead of make up some stupid initials that didn't make any sense. I had one Aunt who would break out with a rash all over her face when she was just a few weeks along..everyone would know of her delicate condition, she had five kids too..one right after the other, her face was always a mess. They had some strange old wives tale thing going too..back then they always used cloth diapers and put them in an old bread bag, sometimes while they were changing the babies on the bed, they would put the diaper on the floor and it would get left there under the bed. The old wives tale part was if a diaper was left under the bed, whoever was sleeping in that bed was going to become PG next. Sometimes one of my Aunts would say, "No one better be leaving any dirty diapers under my bed."

They would also guess..boy or girl..and the pregnant person would have to stand up and show off their belly for the guesses. THEN..they had a nail or something on a string and they would hold it above the big belly and a clockwise motion meant a boy and counterclockwise a girl..or visa versa..I do not remember all the specifics.

Well that one picture sure did have a bunch of old recalls associated with it:)

Wildflowers: June 08, 2010

We were lucky enough the other day, to find a Bluebead Lily or Clintonia borealis in bloom, a native plant that blooms in June. I rooted around in my archives,  last summer I had photographed the blue berries that are formed. The berries are poisonus.

Indian Paintbrush or Castilleja coccinea is another native plant that we enjoy catching in bloom. There seems to be more areas of this plant blooming this year..last year we had to go twenty miles north to find any at all. People that live in the western part of the US of A are blessed with many different varieties of paintbrush. We are happy to have two varieties. There is supposed to be a yellow flowered paintbrush in Minnesota..I have not seen that one yet.

How about sowing some Wild Oats or Uvularia sessilifolia another native wildflower. This one was single stemmed with only one flower. An elegant little flower easily missed on the forest floor.

Large Flowered Bellwort or Uvularia grandiflora, a native wildflower, only two species of this plant are found in Minnesota. The flower looks a bit droopy naturally.

The Wild Geranium or Geranium maculatum is a native plant, it has just begun blooming in our area. Most references say it just blooms in the spring. I am almost positive it blooms throughout the summer, so that is one plant I will have to keep an eye on all summer.

As most of you know, I love the Conservationist writings of Aldo Leopold..today I will share with you his thoughts on Land Ethic..it was true in the 1940's when he wrote it, and it is just as true today as I share it with you.

Aldo Leopold and Land Ethic

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.
This sounds simple: do we not already sing our love for and obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yes, but just what and whom do we love? Certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter downriver. Certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Certainly not the plants, of which we exterminate whole communities without batting an eye. Certainly not the animals, of which we have already extirpated many of the largest and most beautiful species. A land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these 'resources,' but it does affirm their right to continued existence, and, at least in spots, their continued existence in a natural state."

Yeah, I know, I am in love with this guy from long ago, he died before I was born...I wonder what he was like in person.  Did his friends and relatives think he was off the wall, weird, quirky??  Whatever..he words inspire me to look around and pause..and perhaps you will pause sometime today to appreciate something in nature before it escapes us all.  And No, I do not intend to have you read Leopold's entire book on this blog..but if I keep quoting from it and you keep reading my blog you may want to read it yourself.  I am always on the lookout for paperback copies of A Sand County Almanac...to share with others:)

Wildflowers: June 07, 2010

The Canada Anemone or Anemone canadensis is in lovely form this year, it was a bit dusty the day I took the photos.  It is a native plant.  It spreads by underground rhizomes.  The key to identifying this one is the yellow centers.

Daisy Fleabane or Erigeron annuus is another native plant that will bloom off and on all summer long.  The ray flowers can vary in shades from pink to white.  The center or the disk flowers are always yellow. This is the most common fleabane found in Minnesota. This plant is in the Aster Family..one of my favorite families of flowers.

False Solomon's Seal or Smilacina racemosa is native to Minnesota.  Later on it will have red berries that are non-edible.

Last but not least is Wild Sarsaparilla or Aralia nudicaulis.  This is the mystery plant that Far Guy found one day last week behind his greenhouse.   The four flower heads are on a leafless flower stalk.  The roots of this plant have been used to make root beer.

Here is a little different view.  It is a very pretty little bloom.  Far Guy loves the native Wildflowers as much as I do.  We love learning about different wildflowers almost every day!!

Today it is back to the grindstone, we are having a garage sale soon..my garage is all cleaned up.. finally.  I must have missed cleaning it out last year, we have found "stuff" out there in the rafters that neither of us would claim..how sick is that.  Either someone is putting "stuff" up there without telling us, or we are both getting old and forgetful:)
**Blogger was a big pain today..what was up with that?

Unity

Twelve years ago, our youngest daughter got married.

I wasn't sold, she claimed that this was the love of her life..I had heard that before..plus that I did not like her intended. I told him that too..I told him that time would tell and if he ever hurt my daughter he was going to be in deep do do. Well twelve years later, I can truly say..that I love the guy, the proof was last weekend when he had ripped out the stitches in his big owwie..and I had to hand over the tweezers and close my eyes while he pulled the remnants of the broken stitches out. Yew..I felt light headed..I am not usually bothered with gory stuff..unless I love you..then I will need a chair.

Unity Candle..two separate flames that become one..together the light is larger and stronger. Happy Twelfth Anniversary!

Clouds June 05, 2010 

This morning the phone rang early, it was a long time friend in Indiana. I knew right away that it was bad news. Bill has been fighting cancer valiantly for a number of years. They are non-computer friends, we communicate through phone calls and through snail mail. I knew he had hospice care at home..and it was only a matter of time. They have a really old dog named Maggie, that they rescued and made a home for after their next door neighbor died. Bill joked with Joan, that he wasn't sure which one of them was going to kick the bucket first. Maggie is sitting on the couch alone this morning, she will be a source of comfort for Joan for a little while. Unity..two people loving each other and their dogs (they had many over the years), through thick and thin, always being there for each other. One by one we must leave this world until the ultimate unity when we are all reunited in heaven:)

Long Lake Loons

One day we went by the Long Lake Public Landing,  we learned years ago that a public landing is a good place to walk Chance.  Of course he loves the water..and we always get to inhale the scent of wet dog until he dries out.

As we approached the landing, Far Guy said "Look at the loon!"   I took a few photos out the window of the car, then I got out of the car and watched.  It was one single loon fishing.

He or she was unafraid, and dove and surfaced many times before finally swimming off too far to photograph. 

 It was only after the loon was out of the area that we let Chance out for his walk..or partial swim.

I have been watching Larry Backlund's Loon Cam (the link is on the left).  I have watched for three years now, this pair of loons seems different from the previous years.  This set seems young and immature..not old and wise like the others.  Yesterday one of the eggs was rolled off the nest into the water..here is the You Tube Video.  The eggs should be hatching any time now..many people are watching and waiting.

 Long Lake Loon

Straight Lake has at least two sets of loons this year.. possibly three..they are still nesting too.  I hope we get to see the babies ..from a distance:)

Wildflowers: June 04, 2010

Yesterday we managed to get out and about for awhile in the afternoon.  We headed for the big hill country.  Far Guy and his Dad used to hunt deer in that area.  In retrospect Far Guy says he wonders why in the world his Dad liked to hunt up one hill and down the other..I said "Perhaps he wished he was hunting in Montana."

It is beautiful back in those woods, they seem so different from our area that has so much brush.

The Columbine or Aquilegia canadensis is blooming all over, we saw one area just covered in blooms.

The Wild Phlox or Phlox divaricata  has popped out of it's hiding places. It is a native plant.  What a cheerful little bloom!  It accompanies the bright orange of the Hoary Puccoon in the local ditches.  Mother Nature has it's own color scheme.

Dame's Rocket or Hesperis matronalis is blooming too.  This plant is almost the same color as Wild Phlox, but it is much taller.  It is often found in old farmsteads, this one was at the neighbors. It is a non-native plant that escaped from early settlers gardens.   Dame's Rocket has four petals..where Wild Phlox has five.

The Purple Vetch or Vicia americana is a native plant that has some beautiful little blooms.

We saw lots of areas in the wetlands where the beavers had tried to clog up culverts, the mosquitoes are out in droves in the deep forest, but the Dragonfly's have hatched, and the ferns are almost completely unfurled. We met no other vehicles on our adventure..the whole drive takes about two hours and is about six miles long. Some gals like to go to the malls to shop..I am very happy with a relaxing ride into the woods:)

Thursday Thoughts

Last evening we went over to Barb's.  The Chief had called on Saturday and gave a message to someone, that "The tree is blooming" needless to say we were four days late..and the heat on Saturday (near 90 degrees) and the wind pretty much took care of the blooms.  I got one photo of the blooms.  Last year I got some good photos..so I wasn't too disappointed..but I felt that I could improve on the ones I had taken a year ago of the picture tree. 

Barb had other blooming beauties in her yard.  I should have taken photos of her weedless vegetable garden, it was beautiful.  The rows just perfect..their garden spot is farther west than ours used to be.  I took photos of her Iris instead.

The Lupines are blooming too..this is one color that I do not have in my garden.

Far Guy is doing OK after his tooth extraction.  He does not talk very much.  The vibrations from talking causes him pain..your guess is as good as ours as how long this will last.  This painful talking has happened before, it usually goes away after a couple of weeks.  The jury is still out on the tooth..and the pain from the tooth..if it remains that means that his Trigeminal Neuralgia is bilateral..and is now occurring on both sides of his face..which means double the pain..as if one side wasn't enough.  I hate to continually bitch about what a horrendous disease TN is, I wonder what it will take for someone besides me to try to bring it to the light of day.  Perhaps it will take someone really famous to be afflicted before this orphan disease gets anymore attention.  Far Guy is a real trooper, he keeps plugging away. I am at a loss of what to do..except double the prayers, although some days I am sure that I have used all my prayers up..or God is tired of hearing from me..because no answers seem to be forthcoming.

Far Guy just reported that he has a wildflower for me to look at and that Robins do reuse their nests..as our Mama Robin is back on her nest on the ladder:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1952

This photo was taken shortly after my Dad returned from Korea.  My Mom has pin-curls in her hair..and I am looking pretty cute.. being the oldest..I was an only child back then.  This photo was taken in my maternal grandparents yard..that is one of those infamous woodsheds behind us. Notice all the clothes lines.

My parents purchased a Farmstead with 160 acres shortly after this, it was the farm that I grew up on.  It is just two miles cross country from where we live now:)

Tamarac Wildlife Refuge

We live near the refuge, it is one of my favorite places to escape to. When visiting Detroit Lakes and the Avenue of the Flags it seemed like a great way to meander on toward home.

Madison wanted to help a turtle across the road..she was a little afraid of the turtle..so Grandpa helped her out..the turtle peed sideways..and almost got Grandpa. If you are a young girl of 12 or even a old girl of 58 this is pretty funny.

The Canadian Honkers have babies, they are always fun to watch, they are such good parents.

There was a pod of Pelicans forming a line to chase schools of fish.

There were Yellow Lady's Slippers blooming. Catching them in bloom was a bit unexpected, but a beautiful surprise. For people in the area they were blooming heavily between Pine Lake and Tamarac Lake on Sunday. This is the first time I have caught their bloom time in the refuge..so it was a wonderful day for me:)

Avenue of Flags

The Avenue of Flags is on display every Memorial Day and Veterans Day at Oak Grove Cemetery in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

This project began in 1991 with 43 Veterans Burial Flags. As of Veterans Day 2009, 737 Veterans Burial Flags were being displayed.

Each Flag has a gold tag with the name of the Service Member and which branch of service and which War Era they served.

I learned of this display of flags from another blogger last year, she visited and had many wonderful photos to share with her readers. Thanks! Livin' It Up Country for sharing!

Far Guy, Madison and I went over yesterday. It is a site to behold, I have never seen so many flags in one area. It is hard to focus on just one flag when there are so many to see.

I saw flags, but I also saw burials and flag covered caskets, the slow ceremonial folding of the flag, taps being played for the last time and a family receiving a flag. There comes a time when there is no one that wants the burial flag anymore..and this project is a perfect place for those long ago service men and womens flags to fly for a few days each year..so that they are never forgotten:)

Chance: My Sister

Yesterday my sister was in charge of me.  Far Guy went off to the Dentist with Far Side in tow..he needed to get a bad tooth pulled..Far Side needed to make sure he was going to be OK..hold his hand and get him back home safely. 

Since my sister was in charge.. we took the boat to the beach.  I never get to go there when there are lots of kids swimming, or when there are other dogs there..unless of course it is my sister's idea.  She didn't even make me wear a lead, the old fuddy duddies would have had that on me before I left the boat.   Far Side saw the photos of me playing at the beach and she was shocked..of course I was the entertainment at the beach for all the kids, I had a blast and my tongue was practically hanging in the water and I didn't want to get back on the boat.  I love water and kids splashing water for me to catch is my idea of a fine way to spend an entire afternoon. My sister is pretty cool.

 My sister also buys the biggest marshmallows I have ever seen in my life. They are humongous.

 One of my sisters offspring had marshmallow smeared on his pant leg.. Little Elvis and I cleaned that right up.

It was a good day, and got even better when we went to town and got an offspring of my other sisters..Madison is here for a few days..everyone was playing the card game "Spoons" while Little Elvis and I crashed under the table...just so you know, Far Side lost and all the kids said the loser had to eat a teaspoon of something right out of the fridge..so Far Side sucked it up and closed her eyes while Madison put a spoon of something in her mouth..YEWW ..lemon juice..everyone was giggling so hard they woke me up.  I love my sisters, I am the closest thing to a brother they are ever going to get..and the best part is they have offspring that love me and they bring all their dogs to visit..and when they are in charge of me ..they have their own rules:)

Gone Fishing

Jen, Andy and the Grandboys are here, we are doing some fishing.  I am only taking photos and being the fishing cheerleader  "great cast"  "wow what a catch! "

   Noah

 Adam and Andy

 Jen and her brother Chance.

It is an adventure trying to make sure the dogs are out of the way of the hooks, and watching the Grands expressions as they reel in their fish:)

For the birds

It was a good week for the birds.  I not only have to make time to photograph all the wildflowers but the birds distract me too.

Remember the little ugly robins..well they are all feathered out and one by one they fledged.  We think there were three..one was huge and one day he pushed one of his little brothers or sister out..it made it to safety by the woodpile.  The parents had an absolute cow, it was hours before they calmed down..the next day chubby left the nest and one bird was left.  Far Guy walked that way and saw the little guy leave the nest and fly into a tree...so they are off on their own.  We decided to leave the nest, one of my cousins happened by and he said that some Robins will reuse their nests as soon as the previous bunch has left the nest..so we will watch and wait and see.

One afternoon Far Guy was hollering..I couldn't make out what he was saying other than "Camera".  It turns out as he was sitting outside brushing Chance a Hummingbird flew into the window.  Chance was startled, and looked at Far Guy as if to say "Did you see what that stupid bird did?"

Far Guy picked up the stunned bird.   He had it cupped in his hands when I arrived on the scene.  Yup it was stunned alright, sometimes it takes a bit for them to come around.  Far Guy kept talking to it as I took some photos..

  Chance smelled it. 

I was hoping that it wouldn't die, and so was Far Guy..he had just come back from a dead body call anyway..I think he had enough death for one day.   After a little rest, the beautiful little bird flew away:)

Yellow Lady's Slippers

The mystery photo last Tuesday was indeed a Yellow Lady Slipper!   You are all good guessers!   Years ago Far Guy ordered tiny little plants from a laboratory in Minnesota called Spangle Creek Labs.  These plants are the result of those plantings.  

In Minnesota you can dig up and move Lady Slippers with the permission of the property owner.  I am not sure why you would do this..possibly in the case of building a road or a building site that was going to destroy the plants.   It is illegal to dig them from the ditch.  If I see you, I am going to get your license plate number and turn you in.  You will pay a fine, that and I am probably going to take your picture too.

The Yellow Lady's Slipper or Cypripedium parviflorum variety pubescens is one of forty-two species of native orchids in Minnesota.  I have only seen three, up until last year I had only seen two.  Who knows what the summer will bring. 

The Yellow Lady's Slipper plants out front in the really wild flowery gardens always bloom first.  We also have a patch of plants that were on this property along the back drive,  they will bloom in a few weeks.   The State Flower Cypripedium reginae or the Showy Lady Slipper usually blooms around Fathers Day until July 4th if the weather is not too hot.  The rare White Lady's Slipper or Cypripedium reginae forma albolabium blooms around July first..at least that is when it bloomed last year, this year we will wait and see what happens:)

Wistful Wednesday: Cousins 1958

This is a photo taken in 1958 or 1959.  It is Far Guy and some of his cousins. It was taken at Uncle Ronald and Aunt Beryls house on the mill pond at Osage.  There are two older cousins not in this photo, they must have been away at school, or off doing teenage boy stuff.  It is fun for me to look at these kids,  I only have known them as teens/adults..Far Guy is the kid in the front row with the vertically striped shirt.  The little girl on the far left, died in 1969,  I met her only one time at the State Fair in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1968.  She died from Malignant Hyperthermia during a routine surgery.  There was also an elderly Aunt who died from the same thing. It seemed to be a familial thing..only affecting women.

Far Guys Dad took this photo, he loved the Polaroid cameras, he always had it along with him.  He would wait the appropriate amount of time after taking a photo, checking his watch, then he would rip off the covering and put the goop on.  The photographs were all in boxes that were in the front closet. Many of them were curled up, you have to uncurl them to look at the photo.   He would get them out and look at them in the evenings, a few photos found their way into photo albums...most of them stayed in those boxes.  I have always wondered what happened to them, and had hoped that one day we would find them.  We never did, that closet was directly beneath a valley in the roof and one year the ice and snow caused a dam on the roof and there was a leak down into the closet.  The photos could have been water damaged and thrown away.  We have very few photographs of Far Guy after he was fourteen.  No Easter photos and no Christmas photos..the 1964 to 1968 photos are few and far between.

Reasons we don't have photos.

1. Someone forgot the camera, or even worse, they forgot the film for the camera.
2. They took lots of great photos and they were lost at the developers.
3. They thought the camera was loaded with film, when it was in reality ..empty..this happened to me in 1994 at Jennifer's Graduation.  A hard pill to swallow.  I still feel guilty about it, I was able to get a few photos from my Mom, and one from a friend. So we can still remember that day..but it just isn't the same.
4. Photos are destroyed, or simply tossed away..because they are not perfect.  To me an imperfect photo is better than no photo.
5. While leaving a Gas Station someplace in Wyoming, the camera that was sitting on the dash..flew out the window and landed in the street:)

Wildflowers: May 25, 2010

Today I will catch up some with the wildflowers.

First the Buttercups or Caltha paulstrus that grows quite freely in wet areas here.  They are also called Cowslips and Marsh Marigolds.  I always look for these as a signal that winter is finally over, they start blooming in early May and bloom for most of the month.

I found a bunch of Leafy Spurge down by the river. It is Euphorbia esula..rolls right off the tongue doesn't it? It is a non native, it is an introduced plant from Europe.  Minnesota considers it a noxious weed.  It has a milky sap and is quite poisonous with it's laxative properties.  Think pooping yourself to death.

The pretty little Wood Anemone or Anemone quinquefolia has a single white flower..it is a plant that is native to Minnesota and is also called Mayflower.  These are found quite readily in our woods.

One of my favorite colors..yellow..the Common Dandelion or Taraxacum officinale.  It is actually many tiny flowers clustered together..beauty is in the eye of the beholder on this one.  We have many of these non native plants in our yard..

The last one is called Scrambled Eggs.  I had never seen it before.  I searched through a bunch of my books, I cruised the net and finally I put a photo up on the Minnesota Wildflowers Facebook site and it was identified.  Corydalis aurea or Golden Corydalis or Scrambled Eggs.  I found this plant last week when we were planting trees.

This is what the area looks like where it was found.  It was in a small flat topped mounded area, it is on my baby brothers land.  Far Guy thought it might have been one very large ant hill..and it could have been..but there were no active ants.  It has spurred tubular flowers with finely dissected blue green leaves.  This is an endangered plant in some other states but not in Minnesota.

I like finding new plants, but they haunt me until I get them identified and named and can make some sense of them.  Yes, it may be an obsession..there may be a name for it..obsessive compulsive wildflower disorder or OCWD :)

Now for a little fun..what kind of flower is hidden ..being a shy sort of flower..but native to Minnesota and one of my favorites?  It is hidden by one of its petals..what do you think it is..I will reveal it on Thursday!

 

Wildflowers: May 24, 2010

Today I will show you some white flowers..

The Sweet Grass or Hierochloe odorata or Holy Fragrant Grass is in the front wildflower gardens.  The Native Americans burn this grass as a purifier before their ceremonies because it keeps out evil spirits.  It smells a little like something illegal when it burns.  Sweet Grass is a native plant in Minnesota.  I would bind up some of the stems and put them in the trunk of my car (If I had a trunk) or lay them in a damp basement( I don't have that problem either) Far Guy says Sweet Grass smells like vanilla.  He has planted it here and there throughout the yard, when I mow sometimes I get carried away and mow it down..I wonder what the evil spirits think about that?

Common Chickweed or Stellaria media is a non native plant. The little bloom has only five petals but they are divided so it looks like ten petals.  This little plant blooms most of the summer.  This one is found lots of places..this one is from the cemetery.  In the late evening it looks like hundreds of little stars are hiding in the grass.

Wild Strawberry or Fragaria virginiana is a native plant, if you can nab this tiny little fruit before the birds eat them you are really lucky.  Wild Strawberries have very intense flavor.  I am allergic to them, so I just let the birds have them.  Wild Strawberry is found on the edge of the woods..and in the woods.

 Our Trillium May 21, 2010

Last but not least the Trillium or Trillium grandiflorum. We have one of these plants, and it has one bloom every year. Far Guy planted it next to the woods one year when he was really into native plants.  It blooms in the early spring.  Supposedly seeds are dispersed by ants, and the seeds that they don't eat will grow.  I have heard about the Trillium in bloom in Minnesota..but I have never seen huge expanses of them in the woods until Saturday.

Trillium grow only in areas with deciduous trees, apparently they do not grow well in Pine Forests, I am not sure if it is a soil thing or a light thing, or a combination of both. (Some plants need the extra light in the early spring when the trees don't have their leaves yet).  We stopped along the edge of the road so I could get a few photos..I was watching so intently for them that I totally missed the bear that ran across the road:)