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| Trout lilies |
Well, April showers did not disappoint so the end of that month gave us first glimpses of our May - early arrival of dandelions, explosive lawn growth, flowering fruit trees and shrubs - all hallmarks of the month of May and Mother's Day.
Now that the growing season is upon us, here are a few things to look for in your May hiking and excursions into nature.
Wetlands
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| Virginia bluebells Duck Egg County Forest, Viroqua WI |
Trout Lilies - are ready to open and curl back their white or yellow bells. They like damp feet and can be found in profusion near water, floodplains and moist woods
Frogs - The singing continues with wood frogs and leopard frogs joining the peepers and chorus frogs. American toads add their trill for a short time during the month.
Long-legged Shore Birds - Herons, egrets and sandhill canes are all back and feasting on fish and amphibians
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| Thigh-high Jack-in-the-pulpit South Park, Houston Image - Mike Bonner |
Woods
Jack-in-the-Pulpits - are springing up (and in some natural areas, waaaay up) in May. They are fascinating flowers, choosing their gender from year to year. According to the Minnesota Wildflowers website: "Males tend to be smaller than females and have a small hole at the bottom of the spathe (the "hood) which allows pollinators to escape (with their pollen) more easily. Female plants lack the hole and pollinators are more likely to become trapped, better ensuring successful pollination. Sneaky devils."
Trilliums - the short blooming season and carpets of the large-flowered trillium make it a showstopper in the woods. Sharp-eyed hikers can spot the more rare nodding trillium by looking below the leaves to find its white flower with distinctive pinkish purple tips (anthers). Ants are it's pollinators.
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| Shooting star |
Ferns - turning to our showiest greens, ferns are bursting out and gaining height as they unfurl. Look for maidenhair, interrupted, lady, wood, ostrich, cliff, bladder and rock ferns as you walk. My two favorite fern hikes are at Winona's Bluffside Park Wildwood Trail and Rushford's Maglesson's Bluff. It is fern heaven at a number of places along these trails.
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| Bishop's cap Note the 5 tiny fronds on the tip of each flower |
Bishop's Cap - aka Two-leaf Miterwort, is a tiny but distinct ephemeral. Each flower on its stalk is shaped like a miter (bishop's cap) with fearthery fronds at the tip. Two distinct opposite leaves halfway up the stalk clinch the identification. One of my personal favorites.
Leaves - and shade are back, baby. May is the time of fully leaved trees that shade our walks and provide energy for each tree's growth year. They are always welcome in the Driftless even if we do have to bid farewll to our sun-loving first ephemerals.
Prairies
Prairie Smoke - for my money, one of the most beautiful first flowers of the prairies. A breezy day always finds me on prairies like Holland Sand Prairie enjoying their delicate fuzzy pink flower fronds blowing in the wind. They are also known as "old man's whiskers."
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| A sea of May lupines & puccoons Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge |
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| Male field pussytoe |
Field Pussytoes - these humble, short, white plants hug the ground. You need a sharp eye to find them. The male and female flowers are distinct. The females appear furrier with five distinct “toes” like their namesakes. The males are less fuzzy with their brownish stamens protruding above their scalier flowers. Keep a sharp eye out to see them above their grayish basal leaves.
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| Hoary puccoon |
Hoary Puccoon - this impossibly bright orange-yellow flower is an impossible to miss on the prairie. Closely related is the Carolina or hairy puccoon - both continue blooming right into the summer.
Birdfoot Violet - this rare species of violet sports a deep purple bloom with neon bright stamen. What sets it apart from the more common blue violet are its leaves at the base of the plant. They are lobed and remind one of a bird’s foot. Always a delightful find!
BirdsWarbler Migration - continues with many species resting briefly before continuing on to nesting grounds further niorth. Yellow-rumped, prothonotary, and palm warblers are a few that will remain hear to nest and raise their young. Be sure to keep your binoculars handy and your ears sharp. The Merlin app can help you with this!
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| Orange-crowned warbler, Frontenac (MN) State Park Image Steve Dietz |
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| Prairie smoke aka Old Man's Whiskers |
