A Minneapolis botanist Eloise Butler and botany teachers successfully petitioned to create a natural 15-acre botanic garden to preserve native flora as the city grew. Their efforts a century ago are impressive and almost surreal in the middle of the metropolis.
Winding, well-maintained tree-shaded trails lead guests deeper into the park. Slowly the forest gives way to its floral secrets.
It’s a thrill to find Lady Slippers, the Minnesota State Flower. They are larger than I expect and, as it turns out, just the first of the thousands of flowers I will see on the rest of the mile-long trail.
Forget-Me-Nots, Large-Leaved Lupine, Queen Anne’s Lace, and many more line the walkway in a rainbow of color.
If you love nature and flowers and days of discovery, check out this oasis the next time you are in Minneapolis.
