Wild flower walk

is soooo cold here. I thought I would jump-start spring by posting a wild flower walk. These flowers were found in a variety of soils in the woods here. I love the wildflowers. It is amazing how so many flowers just grow all by themselves, and the deer don't eat them. Lots of these flowers also are great herbs and cures. It all started with me not knowing what a little purple flower was. DH bought me a book and it turned into quite a passion I am afraid.
Lets go for a walk. (no bug spray needed)
First are some Indian Pipes. These are a waxy, mushroom type flower that grow best in sandy soil, but when we have a wet summer. They can be dried, they turn black, and used in flower arrangements.

This is a grouping of cardinal flowers. They are late summer bloomers and bloom along rivers and swamps. These grew in an area that was not easy to get to. I was walking on roots and trees and came to a clearing. This was my reward!

I remember Indian pipes from the woods in the Adirondack mountains when I was a kid

Here are some forget me nots. They are so pretty and small. We have acres of them, again in areas that are not easy to get to. These I moved to along side the trail. They are hard to dig up as the root system is tangled, but they transplanted well and after 2 years have tripled in size. Of course I moved them to simular light, soil and water. They are also a swamp flower.

Grandpapa, neat flower huh? So much to see in the woods.
Here is one I found this past summer. I am pretty sure it wasn't here before. Maybe a bird dropped a seed, or the weather was just right, I am not sure. It is called a Pipsissewa. It grew on the ridge, bloomed about 2 weeks. It is a waxy flower, quite different!!!!

Here is a close up of the same flower. It had a bunch on the top. There were several growing in the same area. So pretty.

This is the pink lady slipper. They spread along the trails and grow in dry soil, lots of rotted leaves and shade. These are protected here in Michigan. If you pick one it dies right away. You are allowed to move them if on your own property and I have moved some that grew in the trail with success. One of my all time favorites!

This is a common flower. I have seen acres of them alongside the road, but here we get one or two scattered around. Some are tiny and some grow huge. Our record was 7" across and about 2 foot tall. It is called a white trillium. We are suppose to have red ones here too, but I have never seen one.

Yellow lady slipper. Grows in the swamp. Some years we don't have any bloom and some years we get good ones. This was a good one I think.

Here are marsh marigolds, or cow slips. These are the first in the swamp to bloom. They are boquets of green and yellow that brighten the woods.

Here is a jack in the pulpit. I know I have a better picture somewhere but I can't find it. I have so many more. Have to hunt and post more.
Ok, now it is your turn.
Let see some wildflower pictures in your area!!!!!!

Forgot to add the Purple Polygala, this is the little flower that started it all. We have them growing all over. They grow in the ferns and wintergreen ground cover in spring. They last about 2 weeks in bloom. They are cute in a small boquet or pressed retain their color quite well for cards or other crafts. Another orchid type flower that does well in our cold climate.

These are just beautiful, cpartschick - and just what we need on these gloomy winter days!

This photo was from my birthday a couple years ago when I invited a bunch of friends and relatives to help me so wildflower seeds in the property in back of me which had just been clear cut. The idea was great and the first spring there were some wildflowers here and there. But then the thistle, nettles, blackberry vines, weedy grasses, etc. took over. Disappointing, but I am going to sow a bunch more this year!!!!!

Neat picture. Looks kinda like when we started here. Our lake lot had been cleared by beaver a few years before, except for a few large trees we wanted to work around, we took out many small populars and make brush piles. This was on sweetest day. We waited and on valentines day burned the brush piles. We invited a bunch of people, had hot dogs, salads etc, like in the summer. The weather was a very cold 5'. One couple brought 5 gallons of very hot chocolate and we drank it all. Everyone had a great time. That was 8 years ago.

That sounds like a great time - do you have any photos? Unfortunately, "my" brush piles are still there - the owner left them as it would have cost him money to burn them. (He had to get permits to do the logging and, as such, would have required permits to burn, along with hiring the fire dept.). The piles have diminished some and it's amazing what a person gets used to - I sometimes realize that I almost don't see them anymore. I also learned early on to console myself with the thought that these piles (I think there's 15 of them) are havens of safety for lots of wildlife.

We call the havens for wildlife, rabbit-tat. (habitat) The problem is that more than rabbits live in them. We burned on Valentines day because of the snow on the ground. We were able to get permits to burn them.
We leave lots of brush in the woods in piles for the animals in the winter. Too dangerous to burn there.
I only have regular photos of the Valentines burn party. I do not have a scanner yet. Picture this, many people with frozen faces, lots of mad bomber hats and fur mittens. At least the potato salad didn't go racid in the heat!

LOL - wonderful . . . I have the visual!!

I imagine the owner of the property in back of us could have burned in cooler weather, but from all I've heard about him, he doesn't much care about what it looks like or how it impacts those of us along the fringe of his property. He (or the lumberjack) did leave a small grove of alders at my request (I put signs on some of the trees, begging him to leave some for "the birds and me").

Hope you get a scanner and share some of those photos someday!