Happy Boots and Hepatica Hill - Michigan Wildflower Adventure

 2026 April 9 Thursday

You won’t find Happy Boots on a map.  Marie and I made up that name for a place in Allegan County,  many years ago.  It is a delightful swampy woodland with wildflowers! 

Here are a few things we saw on this day in April. 

Marsh Marigold

Spring Beauty

Anemone 

Marsh Marigold

Skunk Cabbage

Trout Lily

Sand Creek at Happy Boots

We also visited Hepatica Hill. Mark Cassino told me about this place several years ago.  It is a south facing hill along the Kalamazoo River.  In the spring this hill is brown and muddy except for the burst of purple Hepatica! 

My favorite flower! 

We also saw a dragonfly, and a few butterflies.  

Hepatica Hill

Kalamazoo River

Last week, April 8th, I also got to walk with my other fun sister, Sugar. We started at Nunica Junction Trail Head, part of the North Bank Trail.  We headed east to the trestle bridge over Crockery Creek.  It is a two mile walk, round trip.  It was a wet, 35 degree day. Yet it was nice to be outside for a walk especially with my sister.

We have had a lot of rain, so we went to see how high the water was in Crockery Creek. 

Crockery Creek near Nunica

Today is April 14th, Betsy (my fun daughter) and I went to Riverside Park today to see if we could get to the wildflower trail.  Every route was flooded but you could make it with a boat. We did see a few pretty flowers!

I hope you enjoy these adventures, I certainly did!

Hepatica Hill, Allegan County Michigan, March 25 2022

 Hepatica Hill never disappoints!  

It was a cool yet sunny day.  A great day to be outside.  We did see a few Hepatica sort of blooming. The plants were curled up against the cold, but still catching some of that warm sunshine.  They grow on this south facing hill along the Kalamazoo River.

We also drove along 133rd Avenue, nothing blooming there, yet.

Then a stop at New Richmond Bridge Park and a walk.

August 2018 The First Half

August 7, 2018  An adventure to Genevieve Casey Nature Sanctuary located in Oceana County Michigan.

Moth with green eyes!

   Blue Racer!

                   Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid

                           Purple Fringed Orchid

Mike and I continued our walks at Connor Bayou Park a few times a week.  For a few years we have noticed dry dead leaves on several Shad (Serviceberry) trees.  I finally looked it up and I think it might be Fireblight.  "A destructive, highly infectious and widespread disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora".

 The trail along the Grand River has been flooded, actually for a couple years, but on this day it was passable for a short ways.  We did see different plants here along the water, Pickerelweed, Swamp Milkweed, and Forget-Me-Nots.

             Bladdernut

      Wild Yam

    Connor Bayou

August 9th  Betsy and I visited Hofma Preserve.

 August 11  Mike and I were able to walk at Crockery Creek Natural Area, another one of the parks we visit regularly. 

In the fields and along the roads we were seeing some type of Ironweed.  For me just knowing it is Ironweed is good enough.  It is a beautiful color which really makes it stand out.
 

August 14 Marie and I ventured out on a very hot, humid day to a section of Allegan State Game Area.  We saw many kinds of plants, some blooming.  We walked about 2 1/2 miles that day.  And never saw another person.

We were in heavily wooded areas and kept getting strong, thick webs caught on our faces, EWW!  So I found a nice branchy stick and led the way.  The webs were hard to see and there were many of them right across the trail at face level.  When we stopped for a break, I noticed I had one of the spiders on my stick.  Some kind of spider I haven't seen before.  Marie did some research on it later and found that it was most likely Spined Micrathena Spider.





   I also saw this caterpillar, but didn't touch it of course.

Part of the trail comes to a steep edge, down below is the Kalamazoo River.

We also followed a sort of trail to Bear Creek.  Finally we get to be near water! 

 What trail?

  Bear Creek....this place was serene.

 August so far has been hot, humid, and dry for the most part.  Some areas near us had rain but we seem to keep missing it.  It is still beautiful out there.  I hope you enjoy these adventures.