Orchid!

Found the "mystery" orchid this past Sunday on my long run. The working identification from botanists at the Minnesota DNR is the white form of Platanthera psycodes (Small Purple Fringed Orchid).

Also seen was Corpse Plant (Monotropa uniflora) just emerging from the ground. Gotta love these flowers! I was lucky enough years ago to witness a bumble bee pollinating them (back in the days before digital cameras - at least in my life).

The dewberries and strawberries are abundant along the trail and the blueberries, raspberries and thimbles should be ripening soon. Perfect supplement to the typical long run fueling options.

Running has been coming along slowly. Seems that I have more "difficult" runs than not, but am hoping that trend will change. The fibula is fully healed, now I need to get the rest of me (particularly the mind) back into the swing of things.

Garlic Scapes

Spent some time Tuesday morning, before running to work, cutting the tops off my garlic plants and weeding the garlic bed. There is some volunteer flax, thanks to the straw I used for mulch last winter, that I am attempting to leave in place so I can gather seeds and increase my flax crop (maybe someday there will be enough to experiment with linen or seed production?). Occasionally I am a bit overeager in my weeding and the flax gets pulled along with the undesirable plants. Tonight we incorporated some of the scapes into dinner (a broccoli, tomato saute served over whole wheat pasta). Yum!

Our cucumbers are producing already and there are zucchinis on the way. The eggplant and tomatoes are flowering as well. I am not sure if the peppers will produce this year - they just don't look all that thrilled with what summer has offered so far. The broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts are surviving an onslaught from the cabbage moth worms with the help of liberal applications of BT. So far (and I dread to even mention it) the deer are staying out of the gardens.

Last week my neighbor shared pictures of the bear that was hanging out in his yard. I am assuming this is the same one that broke through the rope and got into the garbage the other morning. Ah - urban wildlife!

Speaking of photogenic wild animals:

Red Fox Kit

This little guy (or gal) has become a regular visitor to Mr. Wildknits at his worksite. It was born this past spring and at some point sustained an injury to a hind leg. We think it is the same kit the DNR wildlife folks assisted for a time, which may help explain some of his habituation to humans.