St. Paul MN

Are you growing invasive species or noxious weeds?

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

I don’t have to look far to see invasive species or noxious weeds being grown and even cultivated by well-meaning St. Paul gardeners. There are so many that it is hard to keep track. Ramsey County has a list with pictures. If you are not sure you a growing an invasive species check the Ramsey County cooperative weed management page.

By the way, St. Paul has rules regarding vegetation. I think the most important thing to know is that vegetation has to be controlled and can not encroach on sidewalks streets or alleys.  There are rules against tall grass and vegetation that may harbor rodents.

City rules also state “Cut and remove overgrown, uncontrolled vegetation, shrubs, trees, vines throughout the yard that may harbor rodents. (The City does not have enforceable code for trees or vegetation hanging into neighboring private properties.) ” Find more rules at Stpaul.gov property code enforcement.

Property codes in St. Paul are enforced by a complaint-driven system which is unfortunate because it is not consistently, fairly or evenly enforced.

Here is a screenshot of some invasive flowers. It does not include purple loosestrife which is an invasive species in Minnesota that came from Eurasia and can be found in our wetlands.

Invasive flowers
Invasive flowers Ramsey County

Many people can not identify invasive plants or noxious weeds, which is why they grow them in their gardens.

Throwback Thursday – Power plant edition

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

Built in the 1920s and was obsolete before it was ever used. At one point it was going to be turned into condos but there were all sorts of issues . . . like the river that made the land hard to develop. The plant was demolished in 2014.

The land is now the home of River View upper landing apartments.  Change seems to happen at a snail’s pace but it happens.

power plant on Mississippi River
Power Plant built in 1923

I watched it being demolished. I am sure I have pictures of that somewhere . . . but where?

 

Throwback Thursday – Pedro Park

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
Dots being painted on the wall
Pedro Park Painting 2014

The old St. Paul Public Safety Annex building on 10th Street in downtown St. Paul on 10th street is being demolished. Eventually, there will be a new park on the site. I think.

There was a small park on the old Pedro luggage site. There were flowers, chairs, and a mural. I still have a bag or two that I bought from Pedro Luggage.  The site was donated to the city for a park. The safety annex building is next-door and has been vacant for many years and the lot it sat on will be part of the park.

The Pedro Park saga is long and complicated but it is photogenic and because it is right across the street from the Lunds downtown I always seem to be in the right place at the right time to take pictures.

Demolition of the safety annex building
Demolition of the safety annex building

Minneapolis St. Paul isn’t a place

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

There is no such place as Minneapolis St. Paul. There is the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. There is a Minneapolis Minnesota and a St. Paul Minnesota and there is a Twin Cities.

I can immediately tell when people are not familiar with the Twin Cities or if they are journalists because they call St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minneapolis – St. Paul, or even St. Paul – Minneapolis.

Also, I get a kick out of how when I write St. Paul it is sometimes rejected as part of an address, and sometimes “Saint Paul” is rejected. “St. Paul” seems to work online more often than “Saint Paul” but you just never know.

That reminds me there is no “East St. Paul” but there is an “East Side”.  It isn’t a huge deal but we can tell the natives from the non-natives because there is no “East St. Paul”. South St. Paul, North St. Paul, and West St. Paul are outside the city limits of St. Paul and each is a city with its own city government and mayor.

St. Paul has a “West End” and a “West Side”. Two different neighborhoods on opposite sides of the river.

The Twin Cities are not really twins. Minneapolis has a nightlife and they even have public fireworks displays on July 4th. St. Paul is where people go to get a good night’s sleep except on July 4th when everyone has their own fireworks display.

Minneapolis has more bike lanes and paths too but to be fair Minneapolis is not nearly as hilly as St. Paul, which is why the real athletes bike in St.Paul.

St. Paul is the last great city of the East and Minneapolis is the first great city of the West. The cities are not in the same county but both are in Minnesota.

Minneapolis is larger than St. Paul but St. Paul is the state capitol.

Minnesota state capitol building
MN State Capitol

 

 

Spring flowers are on the way

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

It finally feels like spring. The trees should start blooming soon. Tulips are starting to bloom and the hostas are poking up through the soil and so are columbine plants.

Wild columbine
Wild Columbine

Columbine, it is beautiful and plants itself in places where there it is shady with some sun.  Columbine is a woodland plant native to North America and Canada and is a perennial.  Here in the Metro area, these will bloom in late May and early June.

 

The Mighty Mississippi River

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. For the last couple of years, the water level in the Mississippi River has been low. Parts of the river south of Minnesota were almost dry due to drought.

The river supplies drinking water and it is a major shipping channel. When the river gets low barges can not get through.

This spring we are seeing major flooding along the river due to snow melt. We had the third snowiest winter on record and in some parts of Northern Minnesota the snowiest winter on record.

There used to be housing closer to the river in St. Paul but due to frequent floods the housing has been removed and the land is now public parks. It isn’t unusual for some of those parks to remain closed or partially closed until July due to spring flooding.

Shepard Road near downtown St. Paul is partially underwater and closed. The river should crest this weekend and then start to recede.

Here are some pictures taken during my daily walks.

Picture of river April 15th
April 15, 2023
april 26th Mississippi river
April 26, 2023, Mississippi River – above 14 feet is considered major flood stage
upper landing park April 26
Upper Landing Park April 26, 2023

The current is powerful. One of the best places to view the flood is from the Science Museum’s outdoor balcony, the Wabasha street bridge, the Robert Street Bridge, or the Smith avenue high bridge.