"I Lead"

South Dakota's State Flower: The Pasque

Earlier this week when it actually felt like spring outside, I went Pasque hunting and was happy to find some. Here are some of the best shots from the evenings of April 11th and 12th. Most of the shots were taken very near Lake Vermillion Recreation Area south of Montrose, SD and the last two were found on Nature Conservancy land near Wall Lake. Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for stopping by.

Here is some interesting info on the flower from www.statesymbolsusa.org: "The pasque flower (or pasqueflower) was designated the official state flower of South Dakota in 1903. Also called the May Day flower, prairie crocus, wind flower, Easter flower and meadow anemone, the pasque is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring (often before the late winter snows have thawed).

Pasque is a tallgrass prairie flower and grows wild throughout South Dakota. The pasque flower is member of the buttercup family and is highly toxic (pasque flowers were used as a medicine by native Americans for centuries)."