Pussy Willows Welcome Spring Near Ely, MN

Before the snow has fully dissipated in the wetlands, a furry white harbinger of spring appears on the willow trees.  The snow-white and silver-gray pussy willows have emerged around Ely. The flowering catkins are said to have received their name from their resemblance to tiny furry pussy-cats.

I photographed these pussy willows near Ely this week.  They were later weighted down by several inches of wet heavy snow that has since dissipated.

Winter Travel Routes Wind Through Labrador Tea

Our winter traveling world varies dramatically from summertime.  During summer, paddling and portaging in the wilderness, we mostly avoid wetlands - for they harbor masses of mosquitoes.  Plus, the prospect of stepping into a particularly mucky spot and going in up to your knees or (gasp!) waist is not most peoples' idea of summer fun.

However, the onset of winter means the mucky bogs and wetlands freeze, and the bugs have vanished.  Now these wetlands make for excellent travel by dogsled, ski, and snowshoe because they are flat, protected from biting winds, and not subject to slush. The fallen snow makes for lovely enchanted forests of black spruce, weighed down with white, in the wetlands.

Although not as eye catching as the trees, a look under the black spruce or tamarack trees in the frozen bogs will likely discover a common wetland shrub called Labrador tea.  While guiding, I pause and point it out along the dogsled trail, encouraging dogsledding guests to pocket a couple handfuls for later back at the lodge.

The shrub often carpets the ground and grows one to three feet tall, with leaves one or two inches in length. Fragrant, elongated leaves have a leathery green top (or, often a brownish top in winter), with edges that roll downward.  The special part of these leaves is the underside.  Flip them over to see the densely hairy copper-colored bottom.  Naturalist and author Mark "Sparky" Stensaas calls them the "hairy armpit" leaves.  I know of no other north woods plant with such a similar characteristic, and it is an excellent identity clue.

The most commonly confused similar plant may be leatherleaf, another common wetland shrub - but one that lacks the hairy underside.  Also, leatherleaf leaves typically angle upward, whereas the Labrador tea leaves often droop downward or point out horizontally.

 In late May through June, once the mosquitoes have returned and the dogsleds are stored, Labrador tea blooms with dime-sized white flowers - each with five petals.  If you are not in the wetlands at that time of year, you may see the flowers while paddling along boggy shorelines.

With such a name, it is no surprise that people steep the leaves in hot water for five minutes or so to make a hot beverage.  I've found that placing a large handful of leaves into a coffee filter, and dunking them in a hot mug of water for five minutes is a simple way to prepare the herbal  drink with easy cleanup.  The concoction can taste quite woodsy and few people claim it to be particularly pleasing straight up.  However, a healthy dose of cream and sugar, perhaps not surprisingly, makes for a delightful occasional beverage.  

Labrador tea is sometimes called medicine tea, Indian tea, swamp leaf, muskeg tea, or Hudson's Bay tea.  The reference to medicine probably relates to the fact that Native Americans, such as the Chippewa, used the tea to treat a range of maladies including colds, digestion issues, asthma, kidney problems and fever.

Although the beverage may provide some health benefits and is commonly referred to as a desirable tea drink, it is important to know that the leaves contain a potentially poisonous compound.  That's probably why you won't find this tea on supermarket shelves.  Thus, the tea should only be consumed infrequently and not in large quantities.  To limit your intake, maybe only drink Labrador tea while you're on a dogsled trip, unless, of course, you're a dogsled guide.

Underwater Photography in the BWCA

Travel in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is mostly via lakes and waters. So how do you deal with cameras around all that water?

Some people embrace the water and bring along waterproof cameras. They definitely take some of the stress out of the possibility of dunking an expensive camera. Kate is carrying a waterproof camera this summer and she really likes that she can keep it at hand rather than packed away in a cumbersome case. She shot this photo by holding her camera under water and pointing it toward the sky. My favorite part of this perspective is that you can see the air bubbles on the underside of the lilly pads!

Kate is using an Olympus waterproof shockproof camera and she likes it.

If you're interested in photography and want to improve your skills while immersed in the BWCAW, consider participating in our Boundary Waters Photo Workshop led by professional magazine and nature photographer Layne Kennedy.  More info on our BWCA Photo Workshop is at this link:  http://boundarywatersguideservice.com/PhotoWorkshop.html.  Most folks bring cameras that are not waterproof on photo workshops, and we take special care to make sure they return safely.

Young Fern Fronds Unfurling in the BWCAW

Summer is on its way! The leaves are exploding out everywhere, and closer to the ground, the ferns are coming out in their own way. The tightly-curled immature fern fronds are called fiddleheads. As a fiddle player myself, I can verify that they do indeed resemble the top of my instrument. It only takes a few days for the young ferns to unfurl, so it is a fun discovery to spy these young plants before they have their big flat leaves of the summer. We found these on a day trip this week into the BWCAW, on the Isabella River.

Bracken ferns are an abundant plant in the BWCAW. Some people say that bracken ferns are good mosquito repellent. Just take one full-sized leaf and set atop your head or stick in your hat, and see what you think.

Entry and photos by Wilderness Guide Kate Ford

Poison Ivy in the Boundary Waters

Western poison ivy leaves are not a celebrated fall color, but they can be as crimson as a red maple leaf. The above photo shows poison ivy recently at the sand beach campsite on the west end of Mile Island on Fall Lake.

Some Northwoods guidebooks gloss over or fail to mention western poison ivy. Many people don't consider poison ivy a plant that grows in the Northwoods.

However, you will find it throughout the BWCAW. For example, this summer I've spotted large poison ivy stands at a campsite on the southeast end of Bald Eagle Lake, on the portage to Slim Lake (below photo, and video), at the sand beach campsite on the west end of Mile Island on Fall Lake, on the south end of Newton Falls portage, and elsewhere. It is out there.

One can identify poison ivy by how it looks. Visual characteristics include: (1) three leaflets ("leaves of three, let it be"); (2) a short woody stem that may look like a brown twig sticking out of the ground; (3) oftentimes growing in colonies standing about knee high or shorter; (4) green leaves changing to fall colors in autumn; (5) leaves oftentimes have a wilted appearance; and (6) the western poison ivy species in the BWCAW is not a climbing plant.

One can also identify poison ivy by where it grows. It grows in a variety of ecosystems, but particularly likes sun and dislikes permanently wet soils.

Sarsaparilla plants are sometimes misidentified as poison ivy. Sarsaparilla is a low-growing plant that grows profusely in the BWCAW. It similarly has three leaflets, but sarsaparilla is distinguished by a pair of leaflets further down the stem.

The oily toxin from poison ivy is almost immediately absorbed through human skin. Washing the affected skin within one to three minutes with cold water and soap may help prevent the itchy symptoms. Washing later may wash off the residual toxin and prevent its spread. Itchy blisters may appear promptly or not for 24 hours or longer. The itchy blister fluid does not contain the toxin and is therefore not contagious.

Many animals, including my dog, eat the leaves with no apparent harm. However, animals may carry the toxic oils on their coats and transmit them when they touch people.

Become familiar with poison ivy so you can squat in the woods with confidence. The alternative could be really uncomfortable.

Harvesting Wild Rice in the Boundary Waters

Today we paddled back in time and harvested wild rice by canoe in the BWCAW. Mirroring the traditional ways of the Sioux and Chippewa in this region, we paddled and portaged our canoe to a wild rice stand.

The above video shows us using smooth wooden poles, called flails, to tap off the ripe grains of wild rice, we slowly filled the bottom of our canoe. The wild rice has a relatively short season and we fortunately made it out just before most of the rice had dropped naturally into the water.

The below photo shows a close-up of the wild rice grains before they are parched and finished.

Juneberry Tree in Bloom - The "Popcorn Tree"

Sitting around our campfire on Disappointment Lake, David asked about the "popcorn tree" behind the tents. What a perfect description! Juneberry trees are covered in spectacular white blooms now. From a distance, they appear to be covered in snow white popcorn.

Juneberry trees are often called "serviceberry trees." Serviceberry is probably a more appropriate name because the berries won't mature until July. Maybe I'll return to this campsite for some serviceberry pancakes then!

Speckled Alder Catkins

These are catkins on a speckled alder tree. The tiny flowers on the male catkins are shedding pollen that pollinates the female flowers. The male catkins are 5 to 10 centimenters long.

While gathering firewood today around our camp on Ima Lake in the BWCA, I worked my way through a dense thicket of speckled alder. The pollen burst away from the catkins in cloudy puffs.

Broad Leaf Aster and Charmin

Guest Blogger: Wilderness Guide Kate Ford.

Spring is slowly creeping its way in. We are seeing lovely, warm, sun-filled days back to back with days of light snow or cold rain. Even with the wavering weather, May is providing the Boundary Waters with enough sun and warmth to coax our leaves out, as proven by these young broad leaf asters. I shot the above photo this week. Broad leaf aster is a low ground cover with other common names: lumberjack's friend or logger's toilet paper. It has a unique soft side which makes it a comfortable alternative when nature calls.*

*Note: Sleep easy. Boundary Waters Guide Service provides good ole soft, happy, Charmin-style toilet paper.

False Morels - Deadly Portage Mushrooms

False morel mushrooms are sprouting up along BWCA portages and area hiking trails. I saw my first of the season a few days ago. Yesterday we saw about a dozen along the Bass Lake Trail near Ely.

These false morels are deadly. Eaten raw they may lead to diarrhea and vomiting within a few hours. That's followed by dizziness, lethargy, and headache. Then, in severe cases, delirium, coma, and death in five to seven days.

However, some in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and around Ely, consider them a delicacy when prepared properly. The toxin in false morels is gyromitrin. The toxin, or some portion of it, is released by drying, par boiling, or sauteing. During these processes, the toxin is released as a gas. If cooked indoors without proper ventilation, the gas may poison the preparer.

Most guidebooks and wilderness guides wisely recommend treating all raw or cooked false morels as poisonous. Some research suggests that eating even properly prepared false morels may lead to poisoning. That is because individual false morels may contain different levels of the toxin, preparation methods reduce the toxins but may not eliminate them, and individuals react differently to different levels of the toxin.

With that said, I've eaten several meals of Ely-area false morels sauteed with butter. Their consistency and taste is remarkably similar to the safe gourmet true morel mushrooms. I had no known ill effects. However, since learning more about the significant potential dangers of false morels, I've concluded the risk probably isn't worth the benefit of this hazardous morsel.

Pictured are false morels on the Bass Lake Trail on May 17.

Birch Catkins Releasing Winter Seeds

Paper Birch trees are starting to release their winter seeds. The catkin in focus has some of the winged seeds just barely hanging on. These shorter (about 1 1/2 inches) female catkins were pollinated last spring. The seeds have developed over the last seven months. Now they take flight on the wind.

We are seeing these winged seeds covering the ground like shadows under birch trees now. However, with such persistent snow this year (another 4+ inches yesterday, and a heavy snow is falling while I type), the seeds are being obscured by fresh snow layers.

I am guiding a day dog sledding trip this afternoon.