Wildflower Wednesday

Single Peony

Every week there are new wildflowers to see along the roadways and in the gardens along Smith and Holt Lakes in Minnesota.  This week the lovely old fashioned peonies are in full bloom.

This plant must be quite old.  It has a single flower, unlike the full double flowers we are more familiar with in our garden at home.  I wonder if it was planted by Barney and Anna when they first built the cabin in the 1930's.



In the open spaces, lawns and roadsides we can see large swaths of oxeye daisies.  Can you just imagine little girls making daisy chain wreaths from these cheerful summer flowers?

Oxeye Daisies along the roadside

In the deeper shade there are pops of yellow flowers bobbing their heads on fine stems.  They are Swamp Buttercups, and you can see where the color Buttercup Yellow get's it's name.

Swamp Buttercups brighten the woodlands

Finally, the most unusual find along the roadside.  At first I thought this was a volleyball, but no, it's a Giant Puffball!  I have never seen a mushroom this large before.  After spotting the first one close to the road, I saw several smaller ones in the same area.

Giant Puffball