Allegan Forest, Allegan State Game Area - Allegan County, Michigan

For me this was a very fun adventure, Allegan Forest- Allegan State Game Area- Allegan County, Michigan. 

As you may know, my sister Marie and I go on an adventure each week, for seven years now. We go where we want, sometimes in search of a certain wildflower, or to a new-to-us place, or an old favorite.

Marie drives 33 miles to my home near Grand Haven, Michigan.  She usually arrives around 7:30a.m., we get caught up with each other, then away we go.  Some days we decide ahead of time where we will go and do research on the area.  Other times we can be driving down the road and decide.  We go south, east, or north, - west is Lake Michigan.  Sometimes we stay right here in Ottawa County, sometimes we travel 100 miles to our destination.  I'm not sure how all this started but I am thankful each week that we get to go.  It's fun and definitely something to look forward to each week. 

Now for July 22, 2013.

We went south through Holland, then southeast on M-40 to M-89 in Allegan County.  We call this place Happy Boots Corner, it is a very wet woods so we get to use our boots.  We usually visit this site in early spring looking for the spring wildflowers, Skunk Cabbage, Round-lobed Hepatica, or Spring Beauty.

 Here are two photos of  Happy Boots Corner in March.

Below is Happy Boots in July.

So here we are in the middle of summer, with temps in the high 80's.  What will we see here at Happy Boots Corner?  This trip I took a photo of each plant we saw blooming, Marie keeps a field journal on our outings, I take pictures.  We saw 67 wildflowers blooming today!  I will include the list at the end of this post, in case any one is interested.

The woods now are much thicker than in March.

We saw Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus ) growing all through the woods, right out of the thick mud.  Lizard's Tail has white flowers in dense, nodding spikes, leaves heart shaped.  The fragrant flowers have long, white stamens but are without petals.

                              Lizard's Tail

 

Believe it or not this is a flowering plant.  Water Purslane (Ludwigia palustris) is new to us and it is easy to miss.  It has very small, green flowers and egg-shaped leaves.  It is of the Evening Primrose Family.

While I was checking out this odd leaf that turned into a True Katydid, Marie was seeing purple.  Right here in these damp woods, that are just like so many other woods, was a Purple Fringed Orchid! 

 

       Smaller Purple Fringed Orchid  (Platanthera psycodes)

This was exciting, even though we have found this orchid in other places, I just wasn't expecting it to be here!  We found a total of three Smaller Purple Fringed Orchid.
I don't think many people come to this place in the woods, there is no trail here.  This was great, a beautiful orchid just growing in the woods, as pretty as can be.

We continued on to Sand Creek which winds through the woods.  We found a few Spotted Touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis).  If you find the seed pods of this plant at the right stage they pop open in your hand.

 Spotted Touch-me-not

Just before we came to Sand Creek, where there is a bridge for snowmobiles, we saw some white flowers with no leaves sticking straight up out of the ground.

Wild Leek



It's Wild Leek (Allium tricoccum)  Lily family. The leaves of this plant push through the ground in early spring but the plant flowers in summer by then the leaves are completely gone.  Below is a photo from March 29, 2011 of the Wild Leek leaves.

Wild Leek Leaves in March

 

    Sand Creek in Allegan County

I'm going to divide this day in two, I don't want anyone nodding off because it is too long.  Below I have included the list of flowers we saw on this wonderful day.

July 22,2013 Allegan County (Happy Boots Corner, Swan Creek bluff and Planted Pine Plantation, M-89 Cross Country Ski Trail, Ottawa Marsh Boat Launch on the Kalamazoo River, American Columbo Field).

                              Ironweed
Queen Anne's Lace
Hoary Alyssum
Horsemint
Spotted Knapweed
Lizard's Tail
Common Agrimony
Flowering Spurge
White Avens
False Nettle
10
Whorled Loosestrife
Water Purslane
Common Water-hemlock
Jumpseed
Purple fringed orchid
Touch-me-not
White Vervain
Wild Leek
Yellow Wood Sorrel
Pokeweed
20
Daisy Fleabane
Common St. Johnswort
Black Nightshade
Indian pipe
Bouncing Bet
Panicled Tick Trefoil
Common Plantain
Clustered  Snakeroot  

Enchanter's Nightshade
Chicory
30
Swamp Milkweed
Bull Thistle
Blue Vervain
Hoary Vervain
Sow Thistle
Horse Nettle
Woodland Sunflower
Aniseroot
Lopseed
Striped Wintergreen
40
Butterfly Weed
Harebell
Yarrow
Bergamot
Tall Bellflower
Goldenrod
Evening Primrose
Helleborine
Brown Eyed Susan
Hedge Nettle
50
Germander
Monkeyflower
Forget-me-not
White Sweet Clover
Cheeses

                            Prunella Vulgaris- Heal All
Michigan Lily
Honeysuckle bush
White Campion
White Clover
60
Hare Figwort
Yellow composite ? didn't ID
Whorled Milkweed
Few Flowered Blazingstar (Cylindric Blazing-star)
Tall Wormwood

Cow Vetch
Red Clover
67