April 15, 2022
Spring flowers
I, Bix Baker, lead a nature walk last Saturday (April 9) and had advertised that we would see some early spring wildflowers. It turns out, due to the cold weather the previous week, we saw none. Many things were coming up or out like nettles, dandelions and gooseberry leaves. We saw lots of fungi, lichens and moss growing on trees, rocks and even soil. We stayed on the trail through the woods by the chalet and then came back through the prairie path through the old golf course. I told those there that I had seen a few Pasque flowers below the overlook at airplane hill and one couple was going to try to find them.
Earlier this week we had some days in the 60’s and many more Pasque (French for Easter) flowers came up and opened their flowers.
Today (Thursday) I went to airplane hill in the midst of high winds and snow flurries. The Pasque flowers were still there but the flower petals were closed and hanging down. This group is a good example.
This picture has one that has opened and several buds that will open in the next few weeks. Notice the hairy stems and surrounding of the flowers. I believe that helps protect them when we have frost or they get snowed on (a frequent occurrence this time of year!).
. This picture was taken on a sunny day not far from the southern bridge Another spring flower that opened this week are the hepaticas. We used to have lots of these in our woods in North Mankato when I was growing up. We called them May flowers even though they were usually done blooming by May. At Fort Ridgely I have only found hepaticas in a few places.
I also went to see these hepaticas today to see how they were doing in the cold. As you can see they had their flowers closed too.
Last year I discovered a rare flower on a hillside several miles from Fort Ridgely. It is a very small (hardly an inch tall) plant with 3 leaves and 3 petals on its flowers. They are called snow trilliums. This year they were the first wildflowers that I saw up and ready to bloom on April 8. This first picture was that day and they were not open. The second is a few days later and I saw both Pasque flowers and hepaticas open on this day. I post many of my pictures online in a place called iNaturalist. I was told there that my April 8 picture was the first recorded picture of a snow trillium this year in Minnesota. Another person wanted more details on the place I saw them as this rare flower is being watched by the DNR and this was their first record of this site.
Early Butterflies and Moths
Some butterflies come much earlier than any of us would expect. Brad (my son) and Becky (my wife) saw a mourning cloak butterfly over a week ago but we did not get a picture. Here is the first butterfly I have gotten a picture of this spring. It is called an eastern comma and we saw it on the trail up to the old primitive campsite
Here is a very tiny moth I saw recently. The comma butterfly was slightly smaller than a monarch but this moth was smaller than the tip of your little finger.
Wildflower Walk
Come on Saturday May 7 for a walk through the woods at Fort Ridgely with amateur volunteer naturalist Bix Baker to see spring wildflowers. Pasque flowers should still be blooming and many others like Dutchman's breeches, bellwort, bloodroots, marsh marigolds and jack in the pulpits could also be blooming. We'll keep an eye out for migrating birds, emerging insects and other natural events in this season of change. Meet at the park chalet parking lot at 10am or 3pm.