Wildflowers are abundant this year. This group of bunchberries caught my eye while hiking in Cascade River State Park.
Bunchberry
Pink & White Showy Lady's-slippers 001
The pink and white showy lady’s-slippers were exceptionally beautiful in Gooseberry Falls State Park. There was double the number of last year.
PinkWhiteShowyLady'sslipper001
Pink & White Showy Lady's-slippers 002
A friend told me about a patch of pink and white showy lady’s-slippers that he knew of on private land.
PinkWhiteShowyLady'sSlippers002
Pink & White Showy Lady's-slippers 003
I have never seen a more beautiful grouping of the state flower.
PinkWhiteShowyLady'sSlippers003
Wild Yellow Iris 001
Wild yellow irises aren’t very plentiful along the North Shore but I found this one plant that had four blooms on it this spring.
WildYellowIris001
Wild Yellow Iris 002
It was located next to a pond.
WildYellowIris002
Luna Moth 001
Luna moths are the largest moths in Minnesota and have a distinctive design that helps protect it from predators. Potential predators see the large “eye spots” and decide to move on instead of mess with something that has that big of eyes.
LunaMoth001
Luna Moth 002
They only live for six days and don’t have any mouths. They live on the food stored within their bodies from when they were caterpillars.
LunaMoth002