Allegan County Michigan Wild Orchids and More

Allegan County, Michigan has wonderful places to explore!  Last year, Marie and I visited "Happy Boots" and found 19 Purple Fringed Orchids in the wet woods that we named Happy Boots. 

So after a very difficult spring and early summer, we finally had the opportunity to explore and Happy Boots was the place.  It is just part of Allegan State Game Area, used for hunting, hiking, skiing, and for us, wildflowering.

It felt great to be back in the woods, looking for purple among the ferns, Lizard Tail, Touch-Me-Not, Tulip Trees, so much green!  So many plants, such fun!  We didn't find 19 this year, I think it was 11 - Purple Fringed Orchids, but that was just fine.

 
 Also in Allegan County, we stopped by Goose Lake.  The water was way down this year, so we were able to walk where there had been water the year before.  It was very interesting to see the plants and frogs and butterflies that live here.  And, of course, we saw hundreds of Meadow Beauty!
 

 Pickerelweed
 
 Funnel Web Spider

 
 

Beautiful day.  Thanks Marie for taking me!

Adventures at Riverside and Bass

To end the year, 2010, and to start off the new year, 2011, I enjoyed four visits to the Riverside Park and Bass River area.  We broke ice, hiked, identified trees, found a cocoon, and had fun. 


Combined there are over 1,700 acres here to play on.  So when we walk at Riverside Park, this is in Ottawa County Michigan, we usually walk to point A (see on the aerial photo below). 


On January 2,  Mike, Tilly, and I walked at Bass River Rec. Area all the way to point B, that is a long walk about 3.75 miles and there is much debris here from flooding the last few years. 

Even in winter there is so much to see.

This picture is taken from what is called Fishermen's Point  (B on the aerial view photo).



American Bittersweet

 


Cocoon on a Black Ash tree

 

Five Lakes Muskegon Nature Sanctuary

2010 07 01 Our visit to Five Lakes. Owned by  Michigan Nature Association.  A large lake existed in this area around 1836. That one lake separated to five small lakes within the next 140 years. By 1975, two of the five lakes had dried up.
 These are a few of the flowers we saw that day:


Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis),


Shrubby St. Johswort (Hypericum Spathulatum)

Pickerelweed (Ponterderia cordata),

Leaf of the Pickerelweed,

Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria).