Part of the fun of hiking in a season like spring is that every day brings new sights on the trails around you. Each week, I will be sharing some of the plants, birds and wildlife that have been peeping up or returning to the the woods and wilds around the Driftless area.
Wildflowers:
- Bloodroot - near the end of their bloom time but not the end of their spectacular foliage
- Dutchman's Breeches - nearing the end of their glory but still profuse in some spots
- Ramps - tis the season. Remember, if you gather ramps, only take a few from any patch (and never in MN state parks) to ensure their continued robust presence. And plant a few in your own landscape. They love shaded, north-facing areas with plenty of moisture.
- Rue anemone - carpets of them
- Hepatica - just getting started
- Spring Beauty - these multi-headed flowers are just coming on
- May Apples - their "umbrellas" are up but are not yet fruiting
- Lyre-leaved rock cress
- Virginia waterleaf
- Bellworts - just starting
- bluebells - a few are peeking through. Mid-May is the hot time and Carley State Park in MN is the place to be. Check out their Bluebell Festival and be treated to carpets of bluebells at this tiny gem of a park.
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| Dutchman's Breeches |
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| Wild ginger |
Wildlife
- blue-winged teals
- eagles
- coots
- mallards
- spring peepers
- sandhill cranes
- trumpeter swans
- Canada geese
- egrets
- great blue herons
- beavers
- muskrats
- turkey vultures
- wild turkeys
- yellow-rumped warblers
- kinglets
- eastern towhee
- palm warbler
- buffleheads
The Mississippi River
In the Driftless region, the Mississippi River plays a significant ongoing role in our geology and trails. For the past 3 weeks, our immediate La Crosse/La Crescent area has experienced slowly rising waters moving towards a crest of 15.89 feet on Thursday April 27. The waters are now sloooowwwwly starting to recede. That process takes between 2-3 weeks. Left behind are massive debris, mud and sand on trails and in homes near the river. This will be either the third or fourth highest water level here since statistics began being kept in 1874.
Part of everyday over the past three weeks, I have walked and observed where the river is at and how it continues to creep up and now back. Many favorite wetlands hikes have been inaccessible. Wildlife has been displaced - our local police department has noted that they have picked up the bodies of four beavers along a busy wetlands thoroughfare that have been displaced by the rising river. I see geese near the roadway that have lost their nests but remain nearby on higher ground.
Mississippi River on April 28, 2023
Image - National Weather Service
We haven't seen a flood of this magnitude since 2001. It is humbling to see what Old Man River can do. And I am grateful that our area has left many wetlands intact thanks to the advocacy of community folks and scientists in the area. The damage to human dwellings and infrastructure could have far worse otherwise.
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| Seems like the river took over the "overflow parking." I *guess* we invited it... |
This week's hikes: Vetsch Park (MN); Sugar Creek Bluff (WI), Fish Farm Mounds (IA); Lytle's Landing Eight Mile Bridge segment of Great River Trail (WI)
Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters
The "I Spy on the Trails" column is a phenology (the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals) journal to chronicle year-round the weather, plant life and wildlife I observe while hiking. It is very useful in helping me compare observations from year-to-year. The column is published monthly from September through April and then twice-a-month from May through August when warm weather brings the natural world back to vibrant life.
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