R.T.A. Conservation Area

This morning we visited the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area, on the Minnesota River Bluffs in Eden Prairie. It is at the southwestern most corner of the city, accessible off Flying Cloud Drive. We walked along the Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail, which features interpretive signs that teach about the ecology as well as the literary history of the writer who gave Eden Prairie its name.

A unique feature of this site is the range of plant communities, ranging from lowland hardwood forest and sedge meadow at the lowest elevations, to maple-basswood forest, oak savanna, and dry prairie as you move up the bluffs. The walk to the top of the 200' bluffs is well worth it, as the panoramic view is SPECTACULAR! This is truly a hidden gem for wildflower and nature lovers.

There is a fountain fed by ice-cold spring water that comes out of the bluffs, which local residents visit to fill up empty water containers. My son had a great time drinking, splashing, and playing in the water.

We were hoping to see more spring ephemeral wildflowers in the maple-basswood forest, however this year's late spring seemed to have kept most of what we wanted to see hidden for now. We did see a small amount of bloodroot and wild ginger. In past years, I have seen a lot of dutchman's breeches here but did not see any today. I saw more trillium (Trillium cernuum) in the woods than I have ever seen in past years, though none was in bloom yet. We also saw anemone, virginia waterleaf, and

I didn't see any wild turkeys in the woods like I usually do, but did see several species of warblers and snuck up on a green heron in the meadow. A big highlight was seeing the marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) in glorious full bloom. All the bright yellow makes a cool, sunny day feel warmer!

More of my photos in the Mn NPS Photo Album.

It looks like some other folks had more luck finding the spring ephemeral wildflowers this week at RTACA than I did (they must not have been distracted by a two-year old!).

Happy wildflower hunting!!!
Sean

Falls Creek SNA

I visited Falls Creek SNA near Scandia on a very pleasant Tuesday afternoon. I had never been to this site before, but hoped to see spring ephemeral wildflowers and maybe skunk cabbage blooms.

The mixed pine-hardwood forest was beautiful in the bright spring sunshine. The only sounds were the birds singing happily and the gurgle of the creek that guided me down in the direction of the St. Croix River. I did indeed find some widlflowers in bloom, including bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) just starting to unfurl it's leaves, hepatica (Anemone americana), and wild ginger (Asaraum canadense). In a week or two, the display should be even better.

I was pleasantly surprised to find some skunk cabbage, which Jason posted about finding in nearby William O'Brien State Park. The skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) was in low spots in the floodplain of the creek. I was also happy to find yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), which I did not expect to see. The distinctive shiny silver bark really stood out in the bright sunny forest among the oaks and pines. Yellow birch is one of my favorite trees. If you scratch a twig, it is supposed to smell slightly like wintergreen, though I think it smells more like rootbeer.

Photos are posted in the MnNPS Photo Album.

Seminary Fen Hearing

The date has been changed for the hearing on Seminary Fen. It is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 15th (12:30-2:00PM) at the State Office Building - Room 500S.

Skunk Cabbage (William O'Brien State Park)

We took a Sunday tromp through the black ash seepage swamps of William O'Brien State Park yesterday (Sunday, March 2, 2008). The skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) flowers (spathes) have emerged along the edges of the seepage streams and will be open this week. -Jason

More information available HERE.

2008 Annual Symposium

Registration in now open for the 2008 MN NPS Annual Symposium. Registration forms are now available online on our website.

NEW online photo album

I created an online photo album with photos from the field trip to bogs in the Hill City area last summer. The album is located here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/MnNPS.Photo.Albums/

I would like to make additional collections of upcoming field trips and events as well, or past trips if anyone is willing to share their photos.

Send me an email at sean.jergens mnnps.org if you have photos or ideas.

Warmer days will come...

Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus)

On this cold, wintry morning, I was day-dreaming of warm summer days trouncing through the bog. Maybe this photo can help you think of warmer days ahead. Taken last summer on the MnNPS field trip to bogs in the Hill City, MN area.