July 21, 2019 - Minnesota Wildflowers

I do take a lot of bird photos, but I also pay attention to other nature subjects as well. Here are some Minnesota wildflower photos I have taken so far this year. Columbine is doing especially well this year at our home in northern Minnesota.

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Round-lobed Hepatica is an early spring flower found at our lake home. It’s part of a group referred to as spring ephemerals. They bloom before the leaves appear on trees. That way they can grow on the forest floor and still have a chance to get some sunlight.

HepaticaRoundlobedDunningLakeItascaCounty20190525

I was at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis earlier this year looking for a bird (which I didn’t see) when I photographed this Goat’s Beard flower. The flower can be up to two inches across. You need to be out early in the day to see these flowers because they open on sunny mornings and close by noon.

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This is the Goat’s Beard flower after it has gone to seed. Looks like a giant dandelion and it’s about the size of a large orange.

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Juneberry (also called Serviceberry) is a large shrub that produces white flowers in spring. The berries are a favorite food for birds.

JuneberryflowersShawnConradsHomeGrandRapids20190525

Bluebead Lily, also known as Yellow Clintonia, grows in the forest at our lake home. True to its name, it does produce blue berries in summer.

LilyBluebeadClintoniaborealisDunningLakeItascaCounty20190609

Cotton Grass doesn’t fit most people’s image of the word “flower.” However, this is the seed producing part of a grass that grows in boggy areas of Minnesota.

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Cotton Grass is most impressive when you see it dominating a large bog like this one along Highway 65 in northern Minnesota.

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