Showy Lady's Slippers

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.

Pink Pyrola (Pyrola asarifolia)

 The star of the show, and a particular reason for hiking this section of the SHT on this day:

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.

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.

Poison Ivy warning

The plant itself:

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.

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.

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.

G and milkweed flowers