By Shealyn Paulis
Within Minnesota’s wetlands, forests and prairies, thousands of different species of wildflowers bloom annually – some only for a few minutes in the middle of the night. In their second book, two Minnesotan women put their passions to paper and set out to uncover all the state flora has to offer.
Nature lovers Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo began as friends who enjoyed admiring their state’s native flowers. In 2018, they shared their pastime with others in their first book, “Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers: A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between.”
As soon as they wrapped up, the authors knew they weren’t truly finished.
“We didn’t know what the concept was, but we knew we wanted to do another book,” Povo said.
Their second project turned into their upcoming book, “Chasing Wildflowers: An Adventurous Guide to Finding Minnesota’s Native Flowers in Their Unique Habitats.” The book is a testament to their trials and tribulations while searching for every species of native wildflower within Minnesota.
Particularly, they were on the hunt for the state’s 48 native orchids. They were successful, save the three with no reported sightings in the past 100 years, said the authors.
While the first book was similar to a love letter to wildflowers, the second focuses more on the adventures the two experienced while searching for the more elusive and rare botanicals, Root said. She said they were intent on showcasing as much of the flora that Minnesota has to offer: over 200 flowers, grasses and more.
“The second book was more about searching and really struggling,” Povo said. “We really wanted to get into the habitat and learn more.”
While they enjoy the flowers as a hobby, the authors said writing about them with detail and accuracy took a lot of research and collaboration.
“We’re not botanists, you know, we’re just people who like to go out and look at wildflowers,” Root said. “We use naturalists and different things to try to figure out locations. We also have a lot of friends that are helpful to us.”
The book offers readers a clothing guide, what to bring with you, locations, best times for blooms and authors’ personal stories.
Those stories were Root’s favorite part of the book, she said, as they show how much fun someone can have while mucking through mud and uncovering beautiful parts of nature.
In one chapter, the friends find one of the state’s native cacti, which only blooms in the middle of the night. In another, they visit a prairie recently burned in a prescribed fire. Both were exciting scenes to the nature enthusiasts as they witnessed something new in their home state.
“It was so recent the air smelled like smoke, and as we walked along, ashes rose up,” Root said about the burned prairie. “But we saw a plant that we’d never seen there before, one that’s rare in Minnesota. It was like a gift: a western white prairie clover.”
Some of the discoveries were significant enough that they shared the locations with the state’s Department of Natural Resources. But the sites of some vulnerable species were left out for their own protection.
“So there’s sort of an unwritten rule that when things are very, very rare, you don’t tell people where they are,” Root said.
The authors hope that readers will feel inspired by their writing and photos to go into their communities and appreciate the native flora, take the mental break from screens and cities, and discover something new.
“We’re trying to encourage people to get out in nature and slow down,” Root said.
They also warn readers to do so while they can, as many habitats like prairies, wetlands and bogs found in Minnesota are threatened by climate change and habitat destruction. They urge readers to not only appreciate nature, but also the work that goes into protecting and preserving it.
“We need resources to keep these places cared for,” Povo said. “We’ve got to keep funding these things that take care of the environment.”
Set to be published this May by Minnesota University Press, “Chasing Wildflowers: An Adventurous Guide to Finding Minnesota’s Native Flowers in Their Unique Habitats” will be available for purchase anywhere you normally buy books, including University of Minnesota Press and Amazon.
Until then, interested readers can follow along with Povo and Root on their blog Flower Chasers, where they document regular adventures and findings together.