Wisconsin Point

 

Today I met a group of plant enthusiasts on Wisconsin Point. Wisconsin Point in the long sandbar that extends across Lake Superior from the city of Superior. Like the Minnesota Point, it is long and sandy. Wisconsin point has more public lands and fewer houses than Minnesota Point. Also, Wisconsin Point allows campfires on the beach. Minnesota Point does not allow campfires on the beach. We were supposed to park in the lot nearest the light house but it was too foggy for me to see the light house. I parked at the wrong spot but I still found the plant lovers I was seeking. First thing we found was the Earth Star Mushroom. This mushroom has a white button cap on a thick gray star shaped base and it looks like something I would see on a video game like Super Mario Brothers. Our speaker today highly recommended the book, Plants Have So Much To Give Us, All We Have To Do Is Ask by Mary Silisip Geniusz.

This area has a lot of poison ivy. The native name for poison ivy is thunder leaf and I think that is a very fitting name. Out here there is a lot of horsetail plants which the natives call Squeak Grass (because it squeaks if the stalks rub against each other when wet) or scouring rush. You can make tea from it but it does contain some nicotine. Or you can steep it in hot water and use it to rinse your hair and make it smooth and shiny. Here is a picture of beach heather. Beach heather is common in Wisconsin along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The only place in Minnesota that has beach heather is Minnesota Point and there isn't very much of it there.

This is club moss. We also found the leaves of rattle snake plantain which is not a snake and not a plantain but an orchid.

This is the sign in the parking lot where I wasn't supposed to park. The fog made me think I was in a Sherlock Holmes movie. A light mist fell during our 2 hour hike. We heard thunder and saw lightening. Once I got to my car to leave the clouds let loose and it rained very hard. Great timing for a hike on the beach!

This is our speaker Marisa Lee. She was engaging and enthusiastic and humble. In front of her is Canada Buffalo Berry patch. Behind her is a red pine plantation.

These red caps are British Soldier lichen which I have seen before. I held the lichen up right in front of my phone lens. In reality, the red caps are so small you can hardly see them on the ground if you are standing up. But aren't they adorable? Seeing such tiny wonders make me think about what I am missing when I have my eyes up in the sky looking at birds or clouds or sunsets for the F16's that fly over Duluth. Our speaker ended with a few words about invasive species. Her philosophy is to try to treat the invasives with respect instead of annoyance. She suggests we try to find a use for the invasive plants and use them up in a productive and thoughtful manner. To be honest, I have been perseverating on the invasive tansy and this might help me break that habit.

This tiny red berry is a bear berry.