Who steals a flower? The Pioneer Press’ Gino Terrell reports: “Minnesota Landscape Arboretum officials are investigating after a rare Showy Lady’s Slipper flower has gone missing this past weekend. … The rare wildflower is endangered and has been protected under Minnesota law since 1925, according to the arboretum. It is also Minnesota’s state flower. The plant was located along the center’s Green Heron Trail. It was last seen on Saturday.”
Weird, seems kind of tailor-made for Minneapolis. The Southwest Journal’s Dylan Thomas reports: “After seven years, the Tour de Fat bicycle and beer festival won’t be stopping in Minneapolis in 2016. … New Belgium Brewing’s roaming party is touring through nine cities this summer, but Minneapolis isn’t on the list for the first time since 2009. The 2015 event in Loring Park drew about 5,000 people and raised about $36,000 for local cycling nonprofits, according to the brewery, which is based in Fort Collins, Colo.”
One for the birds. The Duluth News Tribune’s John Myers writes: “Golden winged warblers are little birds in big trouble. … Scientists say they are declining faster than any other songbird in North America. They are under consideration for federal Endangered Species Act protections. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology says only about 400,000 breeding adults remain, a decline of 66 percent since the 1960s. In some Eastern states, their population has crashed by 98 percent. … But in northern Minnesota the tiny, less-than-half-ounce songbirds are doing quite well. It’s now believed that half of all golden winged warblers on the continent spend their summers in Minnesota.”
This nutritional advice is no gouda. KARE reports: “Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has trimmed his diet of a food category that’s somewhat sacred in ‘America’s Dairyland.’ … The MVP quarterback says he wanted to be healthier following his recent knee surgery and consulted with the team nutritionist. He says cutting out dairy can reduce inflammation in certain parts of your body.”
In other news…
Big deal: “Franklin Street buys Plaza Seven tower for $82 million” [Star Tribune]
Their logo’s red for a reason: Target among “Top 10 Companies Most Loved By Liberals” [Fortune]
What are these, toasts for ants? “MARKET CHAOS: GENERAL MILLS STOCK PLUMMETS ON ‘TINY TOAST’ ANNOUNCEMENT” [Gawker]
More good pest news: “Army worms retreat: no invasion in 2016” [Duluth News Tribune]
MN State Flower
We’ve endured decades of tourists trying to steal Lady Slippers from our North Shore property. Not many left.