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Mayflowers
Mayflowers
This spring and early summer has had many flowers come and go. The April showers brought many mayflowers! It is astounding the diversity of different shapes and sizes as well as texture and structure. Some hang down from their stems and leaves like the first two pictures.
Large-flowered bellwort
Nodding trillium
The truly unique jack in the pulpit. The flower is the central cylinder 'pulpit' with a pointed 'awning' over the top. Jack is in the center of the cylinder, just visible under the awning.
Prairie smoke. I have not seen any at Fort Ridgely but this was at the pollinator garden in New Ulm
Wild plum blossoms were visible several weeks ago and notice the tent caterpillars that are crawling all over and inside their tent on one branch.
The Ohio buckeye tree has these beautiful flowers that form into chestnut like nuts later. The bumblebee is getting lots of nectar and pollen from them.
Blue phlox flowers were blooming not too long ago all over the park
Virginia waterleaf is another very common flower during May in the woods of the park.
Hoary puccoon is a prairie flower found in many parts of the park and this one had an American lady butterfly visiting it.
Narrowleaf or fringed puccoon
Showy orchis is a somewhat rare Minnesota orchid. On a wildflower walk this spring we found a new to me site for them.
Blue-eyed grass. Notice the tiny bee wrapped around the central part of the one flower.
Fleabane is getting more visible at this time. It is distinguished from other asters by the fine and very numerous petals all around the yellow center.
Wood sorrel is not only found in the park but in most yards that don't use herbicides. It is edible and has a lemony taste.
These are black raspberry blossoms. I liked this picture because it looks like the bumblebee is reaching out and touching the blossom.
These are wild grape flowers about to open. The grape is very dark colored and rather tart.
I found quite a few spiderwort plants this year in one area of the park. I had not seen them before in the park
Large-flowered beardstongue are blooming all over the park in the last week or so.
I am in Montana visiting my daughter. I had hoped to get this done before we left on Saturday but such is life. We leave tomorrow for some camping on the east side of Glacier National Park. I therefore will finish with this and write more later in June after we get back. Maybe I'll share a little of the wildlife we see in Montana. Let me close with 3 pictures of bees on the wildflowers of May. Native plants like the ones shown are the ones they find easiest to pollinate.
Honeybee on Virginia waterleaf
2 much smaller native bees on another waterleaf.
Golden Alexander is another flower that is all over the prairies in the park. Notice there are 3 different bees. Not sure why the biggest bee seems to be upside down in its flight.
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