Friends of the Wild Flower Garden
Supporting the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary
The oldest public wildflower garden in the United States.
Listing by season, of Eloise Butler's plantings in 1913, that were "1st time" plantings according to her Garden Log.
Eloise brought into the Garden a number of plants that are not listed today on the Garden census. Many of these were native to Minnesota and a few were not. Here is a listing of most of those plants introduced this year to the Garden for the first time - the common and botanical names listed first are names she used followed by other common names for the same plant and the newer botanical classifications, if any; then follows her source for the material. 1913 is the first year the following list of plants occur in her log. Most are shown in the photos. The inclusion of "(M.C.)" indicates a plant that was still present at the time of Martha Crone's 1951 Garden Census - except for grasses and sedges which Crone did not catalog. "Native" indicates the plant is considered native to Minnesota or if introduced, long established. "Extant" indicates the plant is present in the Garden today. Botanical classification: Over the years Botanists have reclassified many plants from the classifications in use at the time Eloise Butler wrote her Garden Log or when Martha Crone prepared her census. I have retained the nomenclature that Eloise Butler or Martha Crone used and then provided the more current classification based on the latest published information from Flora of North America (Ref. #W7) and the Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Minnesota. (Ref. #28c)
Spring 1913.
Photos shown below are a mix of early plantings that are not present today and of plants still extant. Click the name link in the list for photos and information of those plants most of which are still extant.
- American Alumroot, (M.C.) (Heuchera hispida, now Heuchera americana var. hispida), from Kelsey’s Nursery, North Carolina. Not Native. Extant
- Apple Moss (Bartramia pomiformis) from Franklin MA. Native status not known.
- Bootts Wood Fern (Aspidium bootii, now Dryopteris X boottii (pro sp.)) from Kelsey’s. Native
- Carolina Anemone (M.C.) (Anemone caroliniana) from Hastings Nebraska. Native
- Common Bladderwort, (M.C.), (Utricularia vulgaris -now - Utricularia macrorhiza) from Mahtomedi, MN. Native.
- Fairy Slipper Orchid, (M.C.), (Calypso bulbosa) from Mr. Chase, Boulder Colorado. Native
- Horsefly Weed (Yellow wild Indigo), (Baptisia tinctoria) from Kelsey’s. Native.
- Narrow-leaf Cattail, (Typha angustifolia) from Kelsey’s. Not Native Extant
- Prairie Dogbane (Indian Hemp), (Apocynum cannabinum ) from Fort Snelling (Mpls.) Native. Extant
- Russet Buffaloberry, (Shepherdia canadensis) from Park Board Nursery Minneapolis. Native.
- Missouri Violet (Sand Violet), (M.C.), (Viola missouriensis - probably Viola affinis) This violet was not purposely planted but noticed when it bloomed and Eloise noted that it was probably brought in with the sod that accompanied the Cuckoo Flower that she planted in 1912. Those plants came from Gillett’s in North Carolina where the Sand Violet does grow. A current synonym for the Sand Violet is V. missouriensis. Neither plant is currently listed as resident in our state on the DNR Plant Checklist or on the U of M Minnesota Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Minnesota
- Shining Bedstraw (M.C.) (Galium concinnum) from Minnehaha Park, Mpls. Native. Extant
- Silky Dogwood (Pale Dogwood), (Cornus amomum, now Cornus obliqua) from Kelsey’s. Native. Extant
- Skunk Current (Ribes prostratum, now Ribes glandulosum) from Kelsey’s. Native
- Smooth Phlox (Phlox glaberrima) from Mr. Chase, Boulder Colorado Not Native.
- Three toothed Cinquefoil (Shrubby Fivefingers), (M.C.) (Potentilla tridentata, now Sibbaldiopsis tridentata) from Kelsey’s. Native
- Thimbleberry (Flowering Raspberry), (Rubus parviflorus) from Kelsey’s. Native. Extant
- Thymeleaf Speedwell, (Veronica serpyllifolia) from Kelsey’s. Native
- Whorled Loosestrife, (M.C.) (Lysimachia quadrifolia) from Kelsey’s, Native. Extant
- Wild Comfrey, (Cynoglossum virginianum) from Kelsey’s. Native.
- Wreath Goldenrod, (M.C.), (Solidago caesia) from Gillett’s, Southwick MA. Not native.
Summer 1913 Plantings
See explanatory notes at top of page.
Click the name link in the list for photos of those plants most of which are still extant.
- Wild Parsnip (M.C.), (Pastinaca sativa) from Glenwood Springs. Not Native, but introduced and now naturalized.
- Wild Poinsettia (M.C.), (Euphorbia heterophylla - now Euphorbia cyathophora) from Fort Snelling (Minneapolis) Native. Extant.
- Yellow Fringed Orchid (M.C.), (Habenaria ciliaris now Platanthera ciliaris) from New York source. Not Native
- Compass Plant (M.C.), (Silphium laciniatum ), from Hwy 100 area of Minneapolis, Native Extant.
Fall 1913 Plantings
See explanatory notes at top of page.
- Black Oak (Quercus velutina) Planted acorns from Arnold Arboretum. Native
- Bog Labrador Tea (Ledum groenlandicum) from Gillett’s Nursery, MA. Native Photo
- Eastern Silver Aster (Aster concolor - now- Symphyotrichum concolor), from Solon Springs WI. Not native
- Hairy Four O’clock (Oxybaphus hirsutus -now- Mirabilis hirsuta), from 4748 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis MN, Native. Photo
- Marsh St. Johnswort (M.C.), (Hypericum virginicum, now - Triadenum fraseri). Transplanted from the Quaking Bog in Glenwood Park. Native. Photo
- Pearly Everlasting (M.C.) (Anaphalis margaritacea) seeds from Wisconsin. Native. Photo
- Pennsylvania Catchfly (Silene pennsylvanica -now- Silene caroliniana ssp. pensylvanica) from Gillett’s Nursery, MA. Not native
- Prairie Trillium, (M.C.) (Trillium recurvatum), from Gillett's Nursery. Not Native. Extant. photo
- Rattlesnake Mannagrass (Glyceria canadensis), from the Quaking Bog, Glenwood Park. Native. Photo
- Rattlesnake Weed (Hieracium venosum) from Kelsey’s Nursery, North Carolina. Not native
- Stiff Aster (Flaxleaf whitetop aster) (Aster linariifolius -now- Ionactis linariifolius) from Gillett’s Nursery, MA. Not native. Photo.
- Boreal Bog Orchid (Scentbottle) (Habenaria dilatata -now- Platanthera dilatata var. dilatata.) from Gillett’s Nursery, MA. Native. Photo.
- Trailing Euonymus (Euonymus fortunei), from Logansport, Indiana. Not Native and invasive
- Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana), from Gillett’s Nursery, MA. Not native.
- Western Blue Virgin’s Bower (M.C.) (Clematis verticillaris -now- Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis) from Solon Springs WI. Native This is a rare plant - rare in her day and rare today - not known in any metro county.
- Western Marbleseed, (Onosmodium bejariense var. occidentale) from Minnehaha. Eloise simply listed 'Onosmodium' but on May 22, 1914 she noted "Onosmodium occidentale in blossom". Previously the only Onosmodium listed in the log was O. hispidissimum in 1912. Photo.
- Zig-Zag Spiderwort (Tradescantia pilosa -now- Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera) from Kelsey’s Nursery, North Carolina. Not native.
