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HEAD SOUTHWEST TO SEE MINNESOTA'S PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS
During the school year, my daughter, Amber, teaches English to Turkish kids in a school just outside Istanbul. She's home for the summer and she and I just returned from a couple of days of hiking southwestern Minnesota. On our drive home, one of her observations about contrasts between Minnesotans and Turks is that people in Turkey never talk about the weather while Minnesotans seem to only talk about the weather.
It's been an interesting year to talk about Minnesota weather. Some parts of Minnesota have been deluged with rain while other areas - especially some pockets in southwestern Minnesota -- are on the verge of crop failure due to drought.
As we were driving west towards Slayton in the early evening, we watched storms form north and south of our route and move east. Later, we learned that the clouds to the south, near Worthington, had dumped more than two inches of rain on the parched earth and the clouds 15 miles north produced more than an inch of rain. When we arrived at my brother-in-law's farm at Slayton, the rain had completely bypassed them -- a pattern that has been repeating itself all summer.
Cornfields near Slayton are shriveling up while the cornfields surrounding my Carver County home tower well above my head. It's probably a safe bet to say that some parts of Minnesota have received a foot too much rain while other areas are a foot short.
One of our hikes was a four-mile loop at Blue Mounds State Park north of Luverne. The first half of the hike followed a mowed path through bone-dry native prairie above the quartzite cliffs that form the centerpiece of this most southwestern of Minnesota's state parks.
I was fascinated by the prickly pear cacti that grow out of cracks in the quartzite rock alongside the trail. The cactus plans were just completing their yellow bloom phase. Other wildflowers on this sunny, higher-elevation trail included gray-headed coneflower, milkweed, wild bergamot, hoary vervain and leadplant. Two invasive plant species that are causing concern to the park's naturalist are wild carrot (aka Queen Anne's Lace) and honeysuckle.
The predominant grass at Blue Mounds is big bluestem. It is just starting its rapid vertical growth that exceeds one inch a day during late summer. Most prairie plants have deep taproots that allow them to thrive even during drought.
It was interesting to contrast the sparse prairie growth at Blue Mounds with the more lush flowers and grasses we found on the prairie at Minneopa State Park south of Mankato. The prairie trail we walked there is located in the boulder-strewn and ancient River Warren riverbed that lies between the three-mile-wide bluffs of the Minnesota River. The gray-headed coneflowers, wild bergamot and prairie grasses growing on this prairie are thick and lush, thanks to plentiful rains in the Mankato area this summer.
The second half of our Blue Mounds hike followed a wooded trail below the 1-1/2 mile long pink quartzite ledge. Bur oaks have thrived below the 90 ft. cliffs for two reasons. First, the thick, armor-like bark of bur oaks provided protection against fires that raged from time to time across the prairie; and second, the oaks are nourished by moisture draining off the cliffs from the large watershed to the north.
On the dry summer day that we hiked the shady bur-oak trail, our feet kicked up fall-like leaf litter that had accumulated from bur oaks suffering from drought. Whether some of these bur oaks will die from the 2002 drought or are simply shedding leaves as a drought survival strategy won't be known until next spring.
We stopped at the Traverse des Sioux historic site just north of St. Peter, a place I've speeded by on every previous trip. I was attracted by the colorful wildflowers that surround the graceful stone building. Contrary to the perceptions of many people, I like the fact that the facility has chosen to landscape with prairie plants instead of manicured turf grass. When I mentioned this to the volunteer, he responded, "I am so glad to hear you say that. We were actually forced to plant some grass near the front entrance to placate visitors who complained constantly about 'all the weeds.'"
Traverse des Sioux refers to the shallow spot on the Minnesota River where Indians and other travelers crossed the river. It was also the site of the Treaty of Traverse de Sioux between the U.S. government and the Dakota where, on July 23 1851, the Dakota give up their rights to most of southern Minnesota in return for a reservation. It is also the site of a former boomtown of 300 people and five taverns, two hotels and several churches. Museum displays tell about Dakota Indian culture, the 1851 Treaty and its effects on people, transportation, the fur trade, and the town site of Traverse des Sioux.
Although our hiking experience in southwestern Minnesota revealed many delightful surprises, my daughter said she still prefers hiking in the north woods!
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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