Deer River

I spent several hours on May 30, in an aspen stand just southeast of Deer River. I saw an amazing variety of plant species, including three species of Viburnum: high-bush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum), nannyberry (Vibernum lentago), and arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum). That is an interesting genus. The fruit of all three species are eaten by birds.

Arrowwood had buds, getting ready to bloom. I've been on the North Country Trail when the arrowwood is blooming. The blossoms smell like rotten meat. They must be pollinated by flies seeking carrion.

High-bush cranberry produces a head of small flowers that are surrounded by larger showy flowers around the perimeter. The larger flowers are sterile and just serve as attractors. People favor the high-bush cranberry for jellies and wines. The fruit keeps on the bush well into the winter. Drug companies purchase the bark for its anti-cramping qualities. The bushes don't seem to sprout well from the stump, so if you harvest it for its bark, leave some buds on the plant so it can continue growing.

I think nannyberry could often be mistaken for pincherry or chokecherry. The leaves have a similar shape. If you notice that the leaves are opposite, you realize it can't be in the Prunus genus. After it sets buds, it is more distinctive. It has a bud that is spherical near the base, but then is drawn out into a long spire. It reminds me of the ornament my parents put on the top of the Christmas tree.

Remer

I biked to work in balmy mid-50's temperatures! Yesterday, the low at my house was 33 degrees. The day before was 28. Maybe that will be the last frost of the season. The blossoms on our plum and cherry bushes didn't appear to be harmed.

I went to the Remer area, today. I saw a couple of pine grosbeaks. I hadn't seen one in a long time.

I think Remer is a bit ahead of Bemidji, phenologically. The bigtooth aspen leaves are about twice as big. I noticed ferns of several species that are fairly well developed, there, and I've noticed hardly any fern activity around Bemidji.

The Skunk Cabbage Patch

A few weeks ago, during a cruise hosted by the Headwaters Canoe Club, we discovered a patch of skunk cabbage (Simplocarpus foetidus) in Clearwater County. It was growing in a seep. Yesterday, I returned to the patch with Becky Marty, DNR regional plant ecologist. We tried to document the other species on this site.

This discovery turned out to be rather interesting, as the nearest previously-documented skunk cabbage had been in Aitkin and Crow Wing Counties, 80 or 100 miles away. The plant, itself, is interesting because it has an unusual appearance, and because it has unique chemistry. A search on the Internet will turn up abstracts like: "Nonlinear dynamics of homeothermic temperature control in skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus." The abstract mentions that a blooming skunk cabbage can maintain an internal temperature of 20 degrees Celcius when the ambient air temperature dips below freezing. Somehow, it generates heat through respiration. That ability permits it to bloom very early in the spring.

It gets its name from its smell. The smell attracts insects that feed on carrion, effecting pollination. The hood concentrates the smell. It is edible, but it contains calcium oxalate crystals. This chemical will burn your mouth unless the plant is completely dried (No form of cooking eliminates it, only drying.) Personally, I can't imagine why someone would spend much time or effort trying to eat this plant.

While listing species, we found a tiny white flower on a slender stalk. It appeared to be associated with a ball of foliage on a petiole, wrapped up like a clenched fist. Becky coaxed a leaf open and it appeared to be split into three leaflets. I suggested that we take a speciman back to the office for identification. When she pulled it up, a couple inches of gold rhysome came with it. Goldthread! Sure enough, there were older evergreen goldthread leaves nearby, but we had never encountered it when it was blooming and didn't realize how tiny it is at that stage of its life.

We listed the following species within the immediate vacinity of the skunk cabbage:

Overstory trees:
tamarack (Larix laricina)
paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
willow (Salix spp.)
black spruce (Picea mariana)

Understory trees and shrubs:
raspberry (Rubus spp.)
balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
tag alder (Alnus incana)
Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
chokecherry (Prunus virginianum)
fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
red currant (Ribes triste)

Forbs, ferns and fern allies:
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
strawberry (Fragaria americana)
marsh marigold (Caltha palustra)
naked bishop's cap (Mitella nuda)
rough bedstraw (Galium asprellum)
ground pine (Lycopodium dendroideum)
oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
goldthread (Coptis groenlandica)
trillium (Trillium spp.)
sweet-scented bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
pyrola (Pyrola spp.)
aster (Aster spp.)

Mosses & lichens:
undifferentiated sphagnum and feather mosses