Category Archives: Year 12

A Burst of Color! Wildflower Explosion

Year 12,

Enjoy a natural 4th of July explosion of color. The wildflowers are beautiful right now, and tend to be running late this year. Get into the countryside by 7 to 8 am while the light is not yet harsh. I left this morning at 6 am. Lupines are still very much blooming and daisies are only just coming into full blossom. A few Black-Eyed Susans are starting to flower, but the big displays of their color will be towards the end of July.

Remember, if you want to see a particular flower that normally might be past its best phase of blossom, just drive closer to Lake Superior. Every spring it is like a time machine in terms of plants. Lilacs are still in bloom next to the lake. Down south in Minnesota Lilacs blossomed back in mid May. One of my favorite wildflower drives is Lake County 2 leading from Two Harbors to Greenwood Lake.

Purple Power! (video link for email subscribers)

And a few still images taken with my phone. Notice the Hawk Weed vs. The Indian Paintbrush. Most people confuse Hawk Weed for Indian Paintbrush, which is a much more rare wildflower.

Showy Lady Slipper (Minnesota’s state flower)

Hawk Weed

Indian Paintbrush

Common Loon Wolfpack!

Year 12

My lake in northern Minnesota is quite deep, and the common loons often meet near the deeper spots and hunt together to try and catch ciscoes (whitefish). Such was the case this morning … final day of June. The loon wolfpack let me float to within ten yards … ignoring me as they would work together to obtain their breakfast (video link for email subscribers)

And some still images …

Feeding the Northern Flicker Chicks at the Woodpecker Hole!

Year 12

This is the time of the year when new young birds are bursting on the scene … the end of June / the beginning of July. Over the past few days I realized there were some new residents in our yard. It helps to learn the begging call of your local birds. I knew that some time spent looking for my local Northern Flicker Woodpecker Nest would be time well spent.

These images and video (video link for email subscribers) were taken just before supper last night. The BBQ was lit and the coals were getting hot. In the meantime I spent time with the Flicker Chicks. The images are in succession over about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Northern Flicker Chick Feeding at the Nest Hole

The Movie!