Grey Cloud Dunes is situated on two sandy terraces along the Mississippi River offering breathtaking views of the Mississippi river valley. The sandy soil is home to unique plant communities in different habitats such as erosional faces and blowouts. Distinctive species adapted to the dry, sandy environment include little bluestem, penstemon, prairie dropseed, sand reed grass, gramma grass, silky prairie clover, among others. Rare sea-beach needlegrass occurs in several of the blowouts; purple sand grass, on bare sand areas. Louisiana broomrape and Hill's thistles are also found here. North American (blue) racers, an uncommon Minnesota snake, live here.

See two gems of the Lower Minnesota River Valley consisting of sloping, calcareous, organic soil wetlands with springs and small, groundwater-fed, marl streams. Fifteen members of the sedge family, including 10 species of Carex, as well as the exquisite white lady's-slipper orchid, are anticipated highlights. Such floristic diversity in the heart of a large metropolitan area is rare. Problems with invasive species (buckthorn, Phragmites, hybrid cattail) will be discussed. Of particular interest will be observing the results of a prescribed burn conducted last spring at Seminary Fen SNA.

Come join other MNNPS members for an exploration of the moist cliff areas at Carpenter Nature Center. This is challenging topography, not easily accessed, and not entirely catalogued. Many species of ferns and liverworts are to be found on the cliff faces, including walking fern, fragile fern and bulblet fern. Several unusual woodland sedges are also present, and lily-leaved twayblade should be in bloom along the trail.

Digital dragonflies in an analog world? Join us for a different kind of field trip with a focus on dragonflies. We will spend about a half hour in the classroom reviewing dragonflies and then spend about an hour out in the wetland looking for dragonflies, taking their photos when we can get them to pose and netting those that do not want to pose. We will have a projector available so the image will be shown on a very large screen instead of a computer monitor. There is no charge to participate, but pre-registration is required.

Come join other MNNPS members for part of a day exploring granite bedrock outcrops found throughout Quarry Park SNA as well as high quality wet meadow, wet prairie, oak woodland, and oak forest. This mix of communities supports rare birds and orchids and forms the most significant remaining example of the granite bedrock outcrop community in central Minnesota.

FIELD TRIP IS FULL. Come and enjoy a shady hike through the forests of Falls Creek SNA for a morning of fern identification with Barb Delaney. Falls Creek SNA is one of the most diverse natural areas remaining in Washington County. Folded and faulted rocks at this site show the largest displacement of any known Paleozoic rocks in Minnesota, revealing Decorah, Platteville, Glenwood, and St. Peter formations. Steep ravines line the intermittently active stream beds.

Black Lake Bog Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) is in rural eastern Pine County, approximately 2.5 hours north of St. Paul and 1 hour south of Duluth. The SNA is part of a larger interstate natural area encompassing more than 3,600 acres in Pine County, MN and Douglas County, WI.

Our focus will be on updating and expanding the plant list for the site, but other activities could focus on insect or bird inventory or taking GPS points of the boundary signs depending on group time and interest. As parking is limited and the site remote, we will likely choose a meeting place along I-35 or Hwy 23 and carpool.

Larix WMA is located in the extreme southern portion of the Minnesota aspen parkland. It is a large undeveloped wooded WMA, which is immediately adjacent to the Gully Fen SNA and contains many of the same habitat types. Its location in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Lake plain is notable as it is located just north of the high beach ridge at Gully. The Larix WMA is one of the true treasures of the MN DNR Wildlife Management Area lands in terms of native plant communities and rare plant species. This area is where east meets west and includes several very unique plant communities including calcareous fen, tamarack seepage swamp, and rich fen.

FIELD TRIP IS FULL. Co-sponsored by Minnesota School of Botanical Art and Minnesota Native Plant Society.

Botanical Artists: Explore the morphology of native plants under various growing conditions in several habitats; sketching in the field. Develop your palette of color samples, learn proper methods of plant collection and photography to assure realistic depictions.

Plant lovers: Explore new locations of fens, prairies, and rock outcrops. Shalom Hill Farm lies in the center of a circle of at least 15 potential destinations to be selected depending on the conditions of the season. These include upland prairies, rock outcrops, “waterfalls,” mesic prairies, and wetland complexes with calcareous fens. Two prime publicly owned forests are a little over an hour away.