Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A few places around Michigan

May 2012 Just a mixed bag of photos from May in Michigan.

Rycenga Recreation Area, located in both Spring Lake Township and Fruitport Township at 16401 Hemlock Road, is a good place to find Pink Lady-slipper, orchid.


Creek in Rycenga Recreation Area

 At Riverside Park (Ottawa County) we found Virginia Waterleaf.


Trail at  Riverside Park.

   Wild Geranium,

                          and Yellow Iris




A toad trying to hide.



A few shots from the Truth Cam here in the woods (Grand Haven Michigan).  First a woodchuck posing for the camera, he's a regular.





 A deer wondering what's going on.


Marie and I went to Allegan County Michigan on May 14, first to 133rd Avenue.
 Railroad bridge over 133rd Avenue.


Along that same road we found this giant Green Dragon! 
The plant was  ~ 30 inches tall.

    Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium) Arum Family


Also along 133rd Avenue,
someone was walking on my jacket!

                 Horsetail

                    A beautiful Wild Columbine.

Daisy Fleabane with bug. 

We made a stop at Happy Boots corner, M-89 and M-40 in Allegan County.
 Tulip Tree leaf

Some sort of caterpillar?

Then on to Allegan Forest,

                             Wild  Lupine
and more purple, Bird's-foot Violet


We came to where
American Columbo (Frasera caroliniensis) Gentian family, grows. 
Its green and yellow with purple dots flower will show in June.  These plants are big - growing to 6 feet tall.

We saw Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)  Borage family. 
Now there are other puccoons, Hairy or Plains, but it is puccoon.

To end this mixed up post here is a road in Allegan Forest.
There are many more fun trips in May, more wildflowers and fun adventures!
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9 comments:

  1. kayak1May 30, 2012 at 7:18 AM

    Great tour, love "Someone"
    Thanks...

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  2. Plants Amaze MeMay 30, 2012 at 8:26 AM

    kayak1, Thanks, some of the bugs are very interesting when you look close. I don't really like bugs, but they are fascinating.
    Thanks for visiting the blog. :)

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  3. New Hampshire GardenerMay 30, 2012 at 1:08 PM

    I got excited when i saw that hoary puccoon because I have a yellow flower that I haven't been able to ID. Unfortunately, mine has 4 petals and hoary has 5. Back to the ID books.
    That green dragon is really something-I've never seen one but I did see leaves that resemble those the other day.
    We're outside of the range of the American Columbo, so that must be why I've never seen or heard of it either. Not much of a flower, is it?
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. DaveMay 30, 2012 at 8:28 PM

    I really like the pink lady slipper. i hope i get to see one on my travels. the Hoary puccoon id really nice too!! thanks for posting.

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  5. Plants Amaze MeMay 30, 2012 at 9:52 PM

    New Hampshire Gardener, Thanks! Too bad your flower was a petal short, hope you figure that one out.
    The Green Dragon is something I've seen just the last few years, usually in a wet area, this one was along the gravel road and it was larger than I had ever seen before! Hard to get the whole plant in focus and it blends into the background.
    We saw American Columbo blooming two years ago in early June. I have pictures of the flower maybe I will post some, the flower was odd but pretty.
    Thanks for stopping by and let me know what your yellow flower turns out to be. Maybe Sundrops or Evening Primrose?
    :-)

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  6. New Hampshire GardenerMay 31, 2012 at 8:21 AM

    Evening primrose was my first thought too, but the stigma is cross shaped on evening primrose and the stigma on my flower is a flat, round disc. Sundrops are in the same family as evening primrose and have the same cross shaped stigma. I'm going to go back and look at the plant I have a picture of to see if maybe the stigma wasn't fully developed when I took the picture. If that doesn't work then I'm not sure what comes next!

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  7. Plants Amaze MeMay 31, 2012 at 6:38 PM

    flowerdave, the Pink Lady's Slipper tend to grow among pines. The Hoary Puccoon is something I see along the road or in the open woods, the color is a very rich deep yellow.
    Glad you enjoyed the post!
    :-)

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  8. AnonymousJune 2, 2012 at 10:34 AM

    I'm envious of your Pink Lady's Slippers because I haven't seen one this year.
    Your Virginia Waterleaf photo is a keeper. I hear it's difficult to photograph this flower but you did!
    I don't know all the ins and outs of perspective and such but look at your two track running off into greenness. It draws your eye.
    Your Wild Geranium is a botanical study sheet! The beautifully colored petals with the green sepals peeking out between each one. The white filaments holding the tan anthers. In the middle of those, the light green style with its five petalled, light yellow stigma that looks just like a miniature flower! A flower in a flower. Amazing.
    The toad was cute. Your nighttime animals are scary. The railroad bridge on 133rd is a favorite, built in 1908, imagine that. The Green Dragon has to be a record size with such a long squiggly yellow spadix! The bug is too cute. The Horsetail looks like a pagoda.
    Then the Columbine, the Tulip Tree leaf, the Lupine, the Violets - oh my!
    American Columbo, full of promised blossoms as the dirt road promises more adventures.
    You outdid yourself this time!
    M :)

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  9. AnonymousJune 27, 2012 at 5:42 PM

    love your pictures...as always! Didn't know that lupine grew in MI, we saw fields of it up in Maine some years ago...very pretty:) Katie

    ReplyDelete