Lamberton Lake Nature Preserve, Rogue River Park, Rockford - Kent County, Michigan



The end of July 2013, Marie and I started our day at Lamberton Lake Nature Preserve near Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Owned by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. 

Then off to Rogue River Park, a Kent County park, address 6300 Belshire Avenue  Belmont, MI 49306.  Rogue River Park is a staging area for White Pine Trail State Park.

We saw Culver's Root blooming.

Groundnut  (Apios Americana)  Pea family, also called Wild Bean.
The fleshy tubers of common ground-nut, a twining vine, were an important food for Native Americans, and the plant has been researched for agricultural use as a food crop.

  Chicory

Rogue River in Belmont, Michigan

Swamp Milkweed

Jack-in-the-Pulpit featuring Marie's hand to show the size of this plant.

Redwhisker Clammyweed
(Polanisia dodecandra)  Caper family
This native plant is a summer annual about 1-2' tall.  Each flower is about 1/3" across, consisting of 4 white petals, 4 triangular sepals that are dull green to reddish purple, 8-12 stamens, and a reddish purple pistil.    The lower to middle leaves are trifoliate, while the upper leaves are simple; both types of leaves alternate along the stems.  Each fertilized flower is replaced by an oblong seedpod up to 2½" long that tapers at both ends.

 

Monkey Flower

Purple Loosestrife

Common Mullein ~7 feet tall

After several miles hiking around Rogue River Park area, we drove north to Rockford, Michigan.  We visited the Memorial Park and Rum Creek Nature Trail.

Rum Creek

Super Secret Cattail Trail

 

 Common Burdock



That was our day!

Lamberton Lake Nature Preserve and Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve

2011 May 23 East we go to a Fen. 
I'm not sure where "they" hide all of the rare plants at this nature preserve.  It is located in a very urban setting, right beside Highway 96 in Kent County.  There is a trail about 1/4 mile long, the water was high and the brush thick.  So we didn't explore much. 

                                     

We did meet this guy along the path.


Next on to Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve!  This is one of our favorites places (we have many favorites).  It is a bit hard to find if you don't have the address.

 Right off we spied Wild Lupine, of course we knew it was here, we have been here before.

The bog with clouds then out came the sun.

                               Saul Lake Bog
We did see Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) blooming which we have looked for but it was flowering farther out on the bog, we couldn't go there.

Swampy area along the trail, good thing we had our boots.

A good day for a walk at the bog then a pleasant drive home.