Wildflower Hike on the Magnetic Rock Trail

My boxer Ellie and I hiked to Magnetic Rock last Sunday.  Due to the relatively frequent fires, and the open rocky surfaces, the Magnetic Rock Trail has some of the earliest and best wildflowers on the Gunflint Trail!

Bunchberry

The bunchberry actually has a lot of tiny flowers surrounded by white sepals to better attract insects for pollination.  Each flower can produce an edible berry.

Labrador Tea

Pink Lady's Slipper (Moccasin Flower)

The pink lady's slipper takes approximately 5 years to go from seed to flower.  Orchid seeds do not have a source of food, so they have to wait for a certain type of fungus to grow on the seed.  The fungus gets its nutrients from decomposition, and the orchid seed receives nutrients from the fungus.  Our Minnesota State Flower (showy lady's slipper) takes 15 years to go through the same process.  Never handle or pick a lady's slipper!

Wild Rose

Jack pines are one of the many fire dependent species along this trail.  Most of the Jack pine cones do not open until 105 - 200 degrees Fahrenheit and they can handle over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit for a few seconds.  In order to get a pure, natural stand of Jack pine, you need a fire.

Jack Pine

Hairy Honeysuckle

Twinflower

Magnetic Rock Trail

Magnetic Rock is 23 - 30 feet tall.  A lot of the old brochures had it as 60 feet tall, but the people who wrote that literature probably never saw the rock.

Magnetic Rock is in the Gunflint Iron Formation.  It is composed of slate banded with magnetite.  Your compass will spin if you walk with it along the face of this rock.  Magnets will stick to it as well.

The first year I was on the Gunflint Trail, Magnetic Rock was visible from about a quarter mile away.  Now it stays hidden until you are right next to it.

Magnetic Rock

Ellie at Magnetic Rock

I saw some other neat wildlife along the Magnetic Rock Trail.  The garter (not gardener) snake below was sunning itself on an exposed rock near Magnetic Rock.

Garter Snake

Garter Snake

Red-Osier Dogwood

Columbine

The rock fern was up pretty high.  Luckily, I brought my camera with a 60x zoom!

Rock Fern on Magnetic Rock

Pine Knot

Pine Knot

On the way back, I saw some flowers that I missed on the way out.  It pays to look at the other side of the trees and rocks!

Wood Lily (With a Special Visitor)

Wood Lily

Upright Bindweed

Wetland View from the Magnetic Rock Trail

It was a great day for a hike.  The temperatures were is the 60's and a cool breeze blew across the rocks.  I recommend this trail on a cooler day, as the exposed rocks give you a bit of an oven effect on a hot, sunny day.

Purple Pea