Hudsonville Nature Center and Ottawa County's Bend Area

2011 August 15  Hudsonville Nature Center is always a fun place to visit, it has a rare combination of vegetation and landforms.  The Nature Center features three miles of woodchip trails, picnic areas, boardwalks, overlook decks, and scenic vistas, and more.  
Marie and haven't been here since last November!  Now why didn't we come here in the spring?  Well we were here on this beautiful morning, a comfortable 62 degrees.  
We roamed the Prairies...

We were deep in dark Ravines...

We also visited Bend Area of Ottawa County.

Flowering Spurge

Smartweed

Cicada shell

                A Nice Day!

Catching up on Bass River Rec. Area

2010 08 02 - We visited the east end of Bass River Rec. Area, (in Ottawa County, owned by Michigan Department of Natural Resources) it was hot, muggy, and buggy!  We visit one of our favorite hidden wet areas, and got to slosh around in our boots a bit.  Later we were wilting so we got in the van with the AC going full blast and did more wildflowering along the road.    

                                                   Looking east toward Bass River

                    Smartweed , Polygonum (Pink or Maybe Swamp)



 

Chicory

 

Fringed Loosestrife

Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)

                                                Red Dragonfly (not his real name)

Whorled Milkweed

 

   Swamp Milkweed

     Cardinal Flower

These are just some of the plants and wildflowers we saw, yes there were more!