Hurry with the first half of June before it is August!

June - Busy, fun, great weather - many "adventures" for me!
Here are a few photos from the first half of June.  

                   2014 06 02 Allegan County, Michigan

           American Columbo not yet in bloom.

Rattlesnake Fern (Botrychium virginianum) Seems like we saw more of these this year than ever before.

         2014 06 03 Muskegon State Park - Muskegon, Michigan

              Lost Lake

                                    Lost Lake

2014 06 05   Hofma Park and Preserve - Ottawa County, Michigan

                       Stream at Hofma

               Indian Cucumber Root (Medeola virginiana)

            2014 06 09 Lakes in Barry County, Michigan

  2014 06 11 Minnie Skwarek Nature Preserve
                  - Ottawa County

                           Pinesap (Hypopitys monotropa)

2014 06 12-14 Cabin - Manistee County, Michigan

                                  Indian Paintbrush

  Cottongrass sedge family
 

 Ragwort under cedars

 Manistee River

 Bunchberry

 Number 1 Road near the Hodenpyl Dam

 Maidenhair Fern

Back at the cabin while reading and relaxing on the front porch, I saw this butterfly on the door.  It seemed as interested in me, as I was in it.

 

 On the ride home...
 
2014 06 15 Ross Coastal Plain Marsh - Van Buren County, Michigan

 

 

 Wow, what a busy month so far in June!  Where will I go for the last half of June?  When will I post it?  No one knows.

Wildflowers to Wood

2012 03 22 With the warm-hot weather all plants have been popping out early and fast.  I picked up my sweet sister, Sugar, (she must be sweet we call her Sugar, hey why didn't they call me sugar?  Oh well) and we visited Minnie Skwarek Nature Preserve, Ottawa County, Michigan (Land Conservancy of West Michigan). 

There was still more brown than green as we started off. 

The swampy area was full of big, green, Skunk Cabbage leaves but when we got to the first bridge I saw what I came to see.  A Marsh Marigold blooming!  Just one blooming, many coming up.

Marsh Marigold

We also saw, newly out of the ground amazingly, Mayapples, "Umbrellas", no flowers of course, but a little forest of green making their way up through that cold hard packed earth. 

Mayapple

We saw just one hepatica blooming, it was pale compared to mine here at home. 

Round-lobed Hepatica

There were frogs and birds singing. 

Bridge at Minnie Skwarek
It was a warm day but nice to be out.

Also going on this week was woodcutting, splitting, and stacking, March is a good month for this because the leaves aren't out on the trees yet. 

One of my smaller piles of split wood.

We worked hard and there is much more work ahead.  It's actually fun when the weather isn't too hot to work.  And this log splitter makes it much easier.  It's my job to keep the home fires burning and to do that I need wood.
That's just some of this busy week.