Oct. 13, 2019 - North Shore - Flowers and Scenics

When we took our trip to the North Shore in the middle of September, we found several kinds of wildflowers still blooming. We stayed at Fenstad’s Resort and there were lots of Wild Rose bushes. This set of four open blossoms and two more buds made a very pleasing arrangement.

RoseWildFenstad'sResortLittleMaraisLakeCounty20190914

Asters are a late blooming flower. They always signal to me that fall is upon us.

AsterWhiteFenstad'sResortLittleMaraisLakeCounty20190914

Because Lake Superior is so large, it moderates the temperature along its shore. That allows some wildflowers to bloom later into the year than they would if they were growing inland. We saw these Butter and Eggs blossoms at Gooseberry Falls State Park.

ButterandEggsGooseberryFallsStateParkLakeCounty20190916

Spotted Touch-me-not is also known as Orange Jewelweed. The flower is so intricate that it looks like an orchid even though it’s not in that family. The flower develops into a green seed pod like the one on the right side of this photo. When the seed pod dries, it will burst open at the slightest touch, hence the name Touch-me-not.

TouchnotSpottedFenstad'sResortLittleMaraisLakeCounty20190914

This Fireweed was growing along the shore at Fenstad’s. Flowers open over a span of several weeks. Toward the bottom of the stem are some of the earlier blooming flowers that have developed into long, cylindrical seed pods.

FireweedFenstad'sResortLittleMaraisLakeCounty20190914

One foggy morning I was birding along the East General Grade Road and came across this picturesque little stream flowing through a bog.

StreamfoggyEastGeneralGradeRoadLakeCounty20190919

We were there at a time when the sun rises right near Split Rock Lighthouse. I got up early one morning and hit the jackpot! There were enough clouds to produce a spectacular sunrise right behind the lighthouse.

SunriseSplitRockLighthouseLakeCounty20190915