Ottawa Sands and Saugatuck Dunes State Park in November

        November 15, 2018                  Ottawa Sands with Marie

   The Sag     

      Grand Haven Board of Light and Power along the Grand River

Walking along a trail I could just see the top of the county building in Grand Haven, about one mile away.  From the same spot I zoomed in with the camera and got the photo below.  The county building through the BLP power lines.

 Goldenrod was still blooming even though there was some snow on the ground.

 From Ottawa Sands looking east to the U.S. 31 drawbridge and the railroad bridge.

   We saw the eagle nest. We also saw the eagle flying high in the sky.

November 19 2018  Marie and I hiked at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, the north end.
"A day-use park along a secluded strip of Lake Michigan shoreline, Saugatuck Dunes State Park offers 1,000 acres of land with two and a half miles of shoreline. The Lake Michigan beach is a two-thirds mile hike from the picnic parking area. In addition, the park has fresh water coastal dunes that are over 200 feet tall. The park's terrain varies from steep slopes to rolling hills. The park, located in Allegan County, is relatively undeveloped."

 These mushrooms were growing in the sand, one had been broken off and the cap flipped over.  The top was edged in purple and underneath was all purple.

Then we arrived at Lake Michigan!

In this photo you can see Big Red the Holland lighthouse approximately 4.4 miles to the north of where I was standing at the beach at Saugatuck State Park.



 

High up in a tree, I could see a dark shape.  A bird?  A Walmart bag?  In the picture above you can just see it on the dark hill....center of the picture then a bit to the right.  I zoomed in (photo below) and I think it was an osprey. 



 

Here I circled the bird (with red) in the tree...



 That same day we also walked at River Bluff Park.

      Kalamazoo River

Some of the trail here is down from the Gerald R. Ford Freeway!  As long as those trucks stay up on the road! 

 Dandelion Blooming!

Witch Hazel blooming!

Some neat lichen?

We drove to Wade Memorial Nature Sancutary, no walk here....

We drove through New Richmond Bridge Park.

And we drove down 133rd Avenue, where in the spring we see so many of the early blooming wildflowers.

Then home past farms, and barns, and through a tunnel.

A wonderful day, I am so glad we went!  Thanks for stopping by the blog.

April 20 2018 Hepatica Hill in Bloom!

April 20 2018 Happy Boots and Hepatica Hill
This was the first warm day this spring and still there was snow on the ground in places.  The temperature was in the low 40's when we started out but later in the day we saw 55 degrees and sunshine.
First stop Happy Boots, a swampy woods in Allegan County, filled with wildflowers.

    Skunk Cabbage

     Marsh Marigold

     Trout Lily in bud

    Round Lobed Hepatica

 A jumble of Round Lobed Hepatica just starting to bloom

    Spring Beauty

We saw this red mite, I saw a Garter Snake, a unidentified butterfly, a few other bugs, and Water Striders.

Water Strider with shadow, Sand Creek Allegan County.

      Happy Boots

After two hours enjoying Happy Boots we were off to Hepatica Hill.  Hepatica Hill is a location that was shared, several years ago, from Mark Cassino (CalArti: A Photographer's Journal)

Here it is Hepatica Hill!  I know it doesn't look like much, until you look closely.
Then you start to see them everywhere!

 Hepatica!  Each one is special, a difference in color from deep purple, blue, pink, even white, some with just a few petals and some with many petals. 
They look very delicate, perched on such a rough and scoured hillside.  So colorful among the dry brown leaves.

 

Well that was probably enough for one day, but after spending almost two more hours at Hepatica Hill, we stopped in at Silver Creek County Park to check on the Trailing Arbutus.  But we found none blooming.

 

We also drove down 133rd Avenue, but found little blooming.  Some Spring Beauty, Hepatica, a Dandelion, and Trout Lily in bud.

It was a great day to be outside, and fun to see my favorite spring wildflower.  Hepatica