Photo heavy post - the Showy (or Pink and White) Lady's Slippers are blooming! With a bonus couple of other flowers just because they are pretty; and also pink or white; and one noxious plant.
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Pink Pyrola (Pyrola asarifolia)
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The star of the show, and a particular reason for hiking this section of the SHT on this day:
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| Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae) |
On the hike out spotted this little Pyrola. Didn't take a close enough look to determine it's exact species. Shinleaf (Pyrola elliptica) is the most common, but there are a couple of other white flowered pyrolas in the area.
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| Pyrola species |
I really appreciate that the SHTA has marked this section of poison ivy along the trail. And the folks who recently weed whipped the area did a nice job of cutting a wide swath through here. Helps keep those of us who are quite sensitive to the oils that much safer.
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| Poison Ivy warning |
The plant itself:
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| Poison Ivy |
Poison ivy is not common in the part of Minnesota where I live; generally isolated to one or two areas. But I have noted it seems to be spreading and I am finding it in more and more areas that I thought were "safe". Of course, I may be just more aware since developing a sensitivity to the plant.
I ran a 50 mile race recently where there was poison ivy lining the trail (intermittently) for nearly 30 miles. I thought I had done a really good job of avoiding exposure until 3 days later when my leg started itching. I took a look and indeed I had a nearly 2 inch lesion, with a smaller one not too far away. A week later I still have some seriously irritated looking skin (though the itching is mostly gone). Last year I had a bad exposure that took weeks to fully heal and the scar has only recently faded.
OKC
I completed the Biohazard socks and will post photos once they are washed and blocked.
I then started on a sweater for my grandson with the full intent of finishing it while visiting him and his family. Alas there was a gauge issue and I had to rip out several inches of knitting, recalculate and start over again. I am now nearing completion and will need to ship the sweater to him.
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| Abate Sweater - Alicia Plummer |
I had just enough of the blue yarn, I thought, to complete a sweater but also had this lovely complementary maroon/red yarn so opted to add some color work in the body of the sweater and will also use it at the bottom of the ribbing at waist and wrists. I am still contemplating how to add it at the neck.
This is a top down sweater - a great design for little folks as it is easy to try on and check for size.
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| Abate sweater showing body and ribbing at the waist |
It is never too young to start educating kids about wildflowers and their importance in the environment. Here G is inspecting milkweed flowers and we talked about how much butterflies like them.
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| G and milkweed flowers |
