Each of the last two days found me taking a bicycle ride on Suomi Hills backroad … Itasca County 48. As I have repeatedly noted in this blog over the past several weeks, it is wildflower heaven in the countryside right now. Here are just a few of the wildflowers I saw including hundreds of Minnesota’s State Flower, the Showy Lady Slipper. You will also find an image of the “ghost slipper”! The White Lady Slipper is much more rare, but when you see hundreds of Showys, a Ghost will slip into their midst! I realize many of my readers do not “hang out” in northern Minnesota … thus here is a neat tool for identifying the wildflowers in other parts of the Gopher State.

Underneath the wildflower images are pics of the Eastern Kingbird family. For three years now, kingbirds have nested in a 110 year old logging railroad trestle that snakes across one end of Northstar Lake. I kayaked over from my cabin to visit the young family.

Showy Lady Slippers (including Ghost Lady Slipper)

Black-Eyed Susans and Daisies

Indian Paintbrush

Wild Roses

Eastern Kingbird Family

Delivering a Dragon Fly

Dad is involved with rearing the chicks

Sometimes all children need a “firm word”!