April Showers Bring May Flowers

[Driftless]

One of my favorite pastimes in early May on stream is to look for the really early wildflowers. I have places I look specifically for each one.

My Dutchmann's Breeches are quite hard to find. Tavern Road in Crawford County on the banks of the Kickapoo River are their home.

My Bells Wort is on Knapps Creek in north western Richland County. The yellow leaves of this spring emerger can easily hide under the green leaves because of the similar size and shape.

The Virginia Blue Bells come out near the end of May. They love more of a wet soil. They cover the floors of the small valleys of one of my favorite areas next to Tainter Creek in north central Crawford County.

Spring Beauties are one of my favorites. I think their colors and accents are amazing. The piping on the petals is one of nature's true masterpieces. Maybe I add a special significance to finding them each spring because it was the first flower my dad showed to me and identified to me as a child. They come out first on the stream I caught my very first trout in 1964 in Crawford County. The stream has no name.

Get out there and discover some of nature's wonders. No one ever made lifelong memories behind the keyboard. Please go out exploring and take your children with you.

[MN Shutterbug]

Please go out exploring and take your children with you.

Weather sucks too much for that.