New pasqueflowers emerging, Hanson County.

Pasqueflower, Hanson County.

Pasqueflower, Hanson County.

Pasqueflower, Hanson County.

Petal detail.

Snow trillium emerging at Newton Hills State Park.

Snow trillium, Newton Hills State Park.

Snow trillium emerging from the forest floor, Newton Hills State Park.

Land snail shell, Newton Hills State Park.

Snow trillium and snail shell, Newton Hills State Park.

Rose hip, Deuel County.

Downy gentian wildflower husk in April.

Downy gentian wildflower husk in April.

Downy gentian in full bloom from September of 2020.

Four of kind: a pasqueflower patch in Hanson County.

Pasqueflower stamen detail.

Pasqueflower fuzz highlighted by the early evening light.

New pasqueflower petals in the early evening light.

First Flowers

Apr 13, 2022

By Christian Begeman

The wind is whistling as I sit down to type. It is April 12 and there are tornado warnings south and east of Sioux Falls. Friends in northwest South Dakota are battling blizzard conditions in the midst of calving season. So it goes in April on the northern plains. Over the last decade, I’ve kept track of my first flower sightings. The first wildflowers, that is. The average is April 11. But what the weather does (or doesn’t do) has caused first sightings as early as mid-March and as late as the first week of May.

This year we haven’t had a lot of moisture, nor have we had many extended warm periods in early spring. But we’ve had wind. You have to expect wind in the early spring in the 605, but this year the gales have been strong and long lingering. Even so, I’ve been more eager to find the first signs of spring than any other year, likely because it was an extremely busy winter with little free time to get out into nature.  By April 2, I couldn’t wait anymore. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and my cabin fever combined with early season wanderlust led me to Hanson County to explore early blooming pasqueflowers. I was rewarded with a handful of fresh blooms. I like photographing our state flower as early in the season as possible; the pink and purple are more saturated, and the wind and frost have yet to take their toll on the petals.

The next day, I headed into the forest. Newton Hills State Park has patches of wild snow trillium that emerge at roughly the same time as the pasqueflower if conditions are right. When I arrived, I only spotted a few green leaves about to unfurl. A little disappointed, I continued to the very edge of the patch and discovered a few blooms that were out where the leaf cover was not as thick, and the warming sun had caused early growth. While belly down on the earth eyeballing these little white treasures, I noticed quite a collection of land snail shells scattered in the dirt. Their spiral artwork is mesmerizing and made for another subject for my macro lens to explore.

A week passed and another relatively sunny Saturday arrived. I knew stormy weather was coming in a few days, so I headed north to check some prairie hills I know in Deuel and Brookings counties. I was too early for any wildflowers. There was still snow in the ditches and frost in the ground. While hiking I did see remnants of last year’s wildflower season. Brilliant red rosehips from a former prairie rose blossom sparkled in the late afternoon sun and I was shocked to find the husk of a favorite September wildflower, the downy gentian, still standing. After a full winter of cold and wind, this plant still exuded beauty, albeit without the deep blue petals and lush green leaves that adorn it in September.

On Sunday, I returned to the pasque patch in Hanson County. More buds had arrived, but very few had grown much higher than a couple inches. Like me, they are probably waiting for some more moisture, a little more sun and then springtime to settle in for good.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midco he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.