Paws to TrailJun 15, 2025

Yesterday we escaped the news and the crowds for a quiet, cool and cloudy hike on the Rattlesnake Ridge prairie portion of Frontenac State Park.

Here's photographer @twitchydog and his assistant Tonttu in action, as Zeena watches.

Along the way, there was a particularly cooperative Henslow's Sparrow -- likely because he had a nest/territory that we were invading with our wolves-on-strings. Sadly, he's only posting to Bsky now, so you'll have to switch platforms to see his photos:
https://bsky.app/profile/twitchydog.bsky.social/post/3lrnq532yp22a

Show threadPaws to TrailJun 15, 2025

Here's what the Henslow's Sparrow looked like to humans along the trail, as captured by max zoom cell phone.

And more of the prairie as viewed by humans and huskies.

Show threadPaws to TrailJun 15, 2025
Rattlesnake Bluff is at the end of the trail, looking out over the Mississippi River valley towards Red Wing. It's a steep drop! But Zeena was not worried.
Show threadPaws to Trail

Some interesting flora we spotted along the way:
- Zigadenus elegans (Mountain Death Camas)*
- Drymocallis arguta (Tall Cinquefoil) looking like a tall strawberry (leaves not visible here)
- A clump of spent 4th of July sparklers???
- Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master) not yet flowering, pretending to be agave.

* "Plants over-winter as a bulb that is very similar to the wild onion and a few settlers learned of its toxicity the hard way. Alkaloid poisoning is a terrible way to die!" https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/mountain-death-camas

Jun 15, 2025 at 5:45pmWeb
Show threadPaws to TrailJun 15, 2025

Large mayflies had recently hatched from the Mississippi River down below and occasionally said hi to us as we hiked.

Tonttu decided they might make a good snack!

#Huskies #Mayflies

Show threadPaws to TrailJun 15, 2025

The End!

...for now.