Orchids Are Blooming!

The weather in Grand Portage has suddenly switched to summer, and the spring flowers are giving way to the summer flowers. One sign of this that I watch for is a patch of yellow lady's slippers (Cypripedium calceolus) on the old highway. This is one of the forty two species of orchid that are found in Minnesota, and one of the most beautiful.

The majority of Minnesota orchids are small and inconspicuous, and most of us pass them by without notice. I recently found a tiny patch of early coral root (Corallorhiza trifida) on the edge of my lawn that I must have passed dozens of times without seeing. I would provide a picture of them, but they had already finished blooming - maybe next spring now that I know where to look.

Peregrine Falcons Fledging In Duluth

I happened to catch this post at Sam Cook's blog about the four peregrine falcon chicks that have hatched atop the Graysolon Plaza in Duluth. They are expected to fly around July first, and naturalists from Hawk Ridge will be stationed along the Lakewalk at Lake Place Park Tuesday through Saturday to show them to the public. Peregrines have adapted well to our urban landscapes in the decades following their near extinction due to DDT in the environment. The recovery of raptors since the U.S. ban on DDT has been remarkable, and seeing a perigrine in flight (or better yet a full 200+mph dive!) is something not to be missed.

I have had Merlins (another falcon - small, fast and fierce) nest in my yard and was lucky to be able to watch as they grew from awkward noisy fuzzballs to swift noisy juveniles. If you are in Duluth take the time to see the peregrines as they prepare for their first flight.