Early Meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum). Family: Crowfoot. Found in the Woodland Garden, this rather tall plant has very diminutive green flowers with drooping stamens, showing yellow to pink color. Native throughout Minnesota. 2nd image under.

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon media). Family: Primrose. One of the early bloomers in the Upland Garden, quite well distributed. The flowers stand out on tall stems above the basal clump of leaves. A slightly different species, D. radicatum, is native to SE Minnesota. 2nd image under.

Red-osier Dogwood. (Cornus sericea). Family: Dogwood. Found primarily in the Woodland Garden, this shrub begins blooming near the end of May, but you may spot blooms at various times till autumn. Native to this area. 2nd image under.

Spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata). Family: Spiderwort. Found in the Upland Garden. A Plant of open grassy areas.

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum). Family: Waterleaf. Found extensively in the Woodland Garden, the flowers are white to lavender shaded, in clusters, with long protruding stamens. In some cases the leaves may look mottled as though water stained, hence the name. The plant is an aggressive spreader from its many seeds. The roots are tough to weed out and the plant easily fills in any open space. It has spread quite extensively in the Garden. Found in moist parts of wooded Minnesota. The 2nd image under shows a grouping.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria officinalis). Family: Mustard. Found in both the Woodland and Upland Gardens. This plant is an officially designated invasive species. It is subject to continuous removal work in the Garden and the Garden surrounds. It flowers very early in spring and produces huge quantities of seeds which can lie dormant for years. It is biennial, flowering the second year. 2nd image under of a plant with seed pods.

Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum). Found in the Woodland Garden. Most easily recognized by the slender leaf stalks and the semi-circular outline of the pinnules. 2nd image under.

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum). Family: Geranium. Found extensively in the Woodland Garden and in parts of the Upland Garden. Flower color can vary depending on amount of sunlight. Found in SE and Central Minnesota and north along the St. Croix counties.

American Highbush Cranberry. (Viburnum opulus L. var. americanum). Family: Viburnum. A large grouping of these old shrubs is found in the Woodland Garden at the far end of the bog trail. The flower cluster opens first on the outside edges. Nice red fruit in the fall that can persist over winter. 2nd photo under of the flower cluster.

The activities of Chip
One of the resident chipmunks in the Woodland Garden says "hello",

and Chuck.
while a resident Woodchuck visits the Bog.

Wood Strawberry (Fragaria vesca). Family: Rose. A plant of the open woods, found in both the Upland and Woodland Gardens. Generally found throughout Minnesota except the un-wooded NW.