By Holly Einess
Common yellowthroats are calling “witchity-witchity-witchity” from the Iris Garden marsh. These warblers nest in open marshes, and as their name implies, they are both common (found throughout the US during breeding season) and have a yellow throat.
The lady’s slippers at the end of the boardwalk are just starting to come up; no blossoms yet. Water horsetail, on the other hand, is thick in spots, and wild calla are in bloom along both sides of the boardwalk.
Red-winged blackbirds, both male and female, are flying, displaying and foraging in the cattails along Green Heron Pond. A grackle lands on the railing of the observation platform, his yellow-white eye glowing in contrast with his dark, iridescent head. An eastern phoebe perches on the tip of a reed, surveying her surroundings.
Wild blue phlox is blooming in the forest, along with columbine, Virginia bluebells and wild geranium. All of these native plants thrive in shade or part shade and will continue blooming into June.
A goose family in the pond below the Snyder Building is attracting the attention of a group of children. The kids race across the bridge and up to the edge of the pond to get a closer look. The dozen or so goslings are sticking together and staying close to their parents. Duckweed clings to their little bills and fluffy feathers.
The air is filled with dragonflies; there must be hundreds of them, dipping and rising and landing in clusters on nearby plants. Minnesota is home to around 140 different dragonfly and damselfly species; these baskettails are among the season’s earliest.
The Wildflower Garden features a profusion of wild blue phlox, Jacob’s ladder, and celandine poppy; ostrich and maidenhair ferns are also thriving. Wild ginger is still in bloom, with blossoms that rest on the forest floor for easy access to the insects that pollinate them.
And here, the yellow lady’s slipper is in bloom. Which means the showy lady’s slipper, our state flower, can’t be too far behind!
Holly Einess is a Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer.