More Spring Things

Different places, different things....

           Spring Beauty

         Riverside Park - Ottawa County Michigan

     Wild Geranium

                                               Running Strawberry Bush


 Box Turtle
Hofma Perserve  -  Grand Haven Township Park

     Creek somewhere

               Marsh Marigold

 Cedar Apple Rust

 Cedar Apple Rust after a warm rain

Trillium - Nodding Or maybe Drooping?

 Wild Blue Phlox at Riverside Park, Ottawa County

 Flooding at Connor Bayou Park along the Grand River

 Connor Bayou

 There is a trail under all that water.  Connor Bayou Park

 Connor Bayou Park

      Columbine

   Starflower

                               Mayapple

         Lupine

       Squaw Root just coming up.

            Herb Robert


  First blooming Orchid for me this year at Stearns Creek Park, Pink Lady's Slipper


           Wood Sorrel

                        Royal Fern

 

 This beaver spied Mike and I from about 400 feet across the water.  It came fast towards us, then swam back and forth in front of us.  Every so often it would slap its tail and dive under the water.  We watched it for a few minutes, I took some video with my phone, then we left the area. 

 

Today it is 93 degrees!  We went from a nice cool spring, to hot summer days!  Spring  always seems to go fast, it was a good spring.

Take Care!



First Wild Orchid of 2018!

May 21 2018  A cold and rainy day is predicted.  Marie and I had planned to go out today for an adventure in a swamp.  Well, wait just a minute.  Rain, swamp, cold, or stay home warm, comfortable, maybe get something done around the house?

I tried to talk Marie out of going.  I  knew we would see cool plants and things in the swamp.  But it is early morning, wet and cold outside.  Marie said we should just go.  So we are going to the swamp!

What a great day it was!!  We found our first wild orchid of the year!  Right there in the swamp - the cold, wet, rainy, gray swamp! 

                 Small Yellow Lady's Slipper

 

 

 

I'm so glad we went!

Orchids are Blooming in Ottawa County

We have been seeing Pink Lady's Slipper, a wild orchid, blooming in Muskegon and Ottawa County.  Especially good timing since my "orchid growing" sister, Mary Jo, is visiting us this week!

A Delightful Discovery (borrowed words) in Barry County, Michigan

In 2012, a blogger friend told me about a delightful discovery that I might be able to find - if I looked in the right place, at the right time.  This was the fourth year we tried to find his delight, and when we found it, we were very delighted.  Thanks, Bob.

Maybe a little drum roll inserted here.  It is an orchid.  Quite rare. Found in an easy to reach, very public place.

It is the Shining Ladies' Tresses!  Spiranthes lucida is the smallest, earliest blooming, and least abundant Ladies' Tresses.  It is a saffron-lipped beauty.

June 2015 Adventures in Michigan

June was a busy month.  So I thought maybe just a picture or two from each adventure?  We will see how that goes. 
June 1st started with my sister, Sugar, we biked  to Minnie Skwarek Nature Preserve in Spring Lake Township.  Then walked through the Preserve.  We saw lots of plants and had a nice little walk.

The next outing was to Hofma Preserve in Grand Haven Township with my daughter, Betsy, and Max (my brother-in-law's dog).  Another short trip. 

On the 6th of June I got two adventures in one day.  First I drove north to met my sister, Marie, at Clear Springs Nature Preserve and Henderson Lake Nature Center in Montague Township.

That evening Mike and I were able to fit in a walk at Connor's Bayou in Ottawa County.

 

June 9th Marie and I decided on Allegan State Game Area in Allegan County, Michigan.  One of the places we visited was Happy Boots, a fun area of wet woods, more of a jungle this time of year..





 Here are a few things we saw.  Oh right I was suppose to keep the photos to one or two each adventure. 



Frostweed (Helianthemum canadense) Rockrose Family

We also stopped to check on the American Columbo plants.  We found some but they were not yet blooming.  We were probably only a week early. 

 American Columbo (Frasera caroliniensis) Gentian Family.  These are tall plants up to 8 feet.  The picture just above is the basal rosette.  "It persists as a rosette of 3-30 basal leaves for 5-15 years (or more), finally bolting as a flowering plant that becomes 3-8' tall for a single season, and then dying."
Here is a photo of the flower of American Columbo that I took a different year.

June 11th Mike and I walked at Riverside Park in Ottawa County.  We walk here often, the trail leads you out on a long peninsula of land that is between the Grand River and Max Lake.

 June 14th Mike and I went to Bass River Recreation Area in Ottawa County.  I wanted to check on the Loesel's Twayblade to see if it was in bloom.  And it was!  The water was high at this super secluded area and Mike only had shoes on, not boots, so he got a little wet. More like a lot wet.

 Loesel's twayblade (Liparis loeselii) Orchid Family  It isn't the most beautiful orchid, but it is fun to find growing here in this old gravel pit.
Also that day we saw this...

 Blue-eyed Grass. 

June 16th Marie and I took a road trip to southern Michigan, and visited Fred Russ Forest in Cass County.  The 13 acre park is part of a 580 acre research forest. 

 Growing in this forest is one of our favorite trees, Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera).

Leaves of a young Tuliptree

 Flower from a Tuliptree.  I found this one on the ground.  Mostly these flowers are high up in the treetops.

 Looking up a Tuliptree, usually not many branches along the trunk.

 Russ Forest

 June 24th Marie and I explored places in Barry County, Michigan.  We saw orchids.

Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus) Orchid Family

Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae) Orchid Family

June 27 Mike and I hiked at Crockery Creek Natural Area in Ottawa County.   "The 331-acre natural area includes frontage on both the Grand River and Crockery Creek.  About two miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails meander along the creek, mature wooded ridges, floodplain forest, open hardwoods, wet meadows and buttonbush swamps. These diverse communities provide habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna including bald eagles, sandhill cranes, red-headed woodpeckers and river otters. In addition to resident wildlife, the area provides staging areas for many migratory birds.  The existing farm house and barn are from a Centennial Farm and are currently closed to the public. "

 For the first time this year I saw a Michigan Lily blooming.  It was across a ditch filled with water.  So I didn't get very close.

June 29th Marie and I went to Muskegon State Park in Muskegon County.  Here are just a few things we saw that day.

 

 Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) Orchid Family
We found more than 35 separate plants of this orchid in one small area. 

 The shore was covered with sundew and several bladderwort were there in the shallow water.

 This is a close up of Spiked Lobelia, just another pretty flower along the shore. 
So that was some of my month of June.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!