Meet Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, authors of Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers; A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between.
Lesser purple fringed orchid
Phyllis Root is a writer, Kelly Povo is a photographer, and they love searching for and learning about Minnesota's native wildflowers—the ones that have been growing here for centuries. They happily climb steep hills, wade streams, search in bogs and fens, and brake for wildflowers they see along the road. Learn about the wildflowers they search for, why they search, and where they (sometimes) find some of Minnesota’s little-known native wildflower treasures. They will also share stories of their own adventures (and misadventures) that led to their first book, a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award finalist, and to their forthcoming book, Wildflower Chasing: An Adventurous Guide to Minnesota's Native Wildflowers and Their Unique Habitats.
Well-dressed flowerchasers
Phyllis, an award-winning author, has written many picture books about Minnesota, including Big Belching Bog, Plant a Pocket of Prairie, One North Star, and The Lost Forest, all published by the University of Minnesota Press. Kelly, a professional photographer for over thirty years, has exhibited in galleries and art shows across the country. Her photographs have been published on posters, calendars, note cards, and in books.
After their first book about wildflowers Kelly and Phyllis started a blog (flowerchasers.com), and they frequently send audio postcards of their searches to Minnesota Public Radio. They are still chasing flowers and love sharing what they learn with fellow wildflower lovers.
Whatever they are doing, Phyllis and Kelly laugh—a lot.
Kelly and Phyllis will be bringing their wildflower book to sell, along with some of Phyllis' children's books on Minnesota: One North Star, Plant a Pocket of Prairie, Big Belching Bog, The Lost Forest, and Begin With A Bee, which she co-authored with Jackie Briggs Martin and Liza Ketchum.
