2012 03 27 Van Zoeren Woods, a Zeeland township park (34 acres) was our destination for this very cold windy, morning. To get to this park we traveled through some beautiful farmland, this barn picture was taken along the way.

We found the park with no problem, but where to park was a bit of a question. We just parked near the sign.

It was 9 a.m. and 36 degrees with a brisk wind blowing. We started to see wildflowers as soon as we got to the trail.

Yellow Trout Lily

False Rue Anemone

Then a surprise! Marie found Large-flowered Trillium blooming. This is about 6 weeks earlier than average for this plant to bloom here in west Michigan.

Large-flowered Trilllium

Then she spotted this Jack-in-the-Pulpit fully open! There were many, many, Wild Leek leaves everywhere. The leaves show first on the Wild Leek then the leaves die back and the plant blooms later in the spring.

Wild Leek leaves

Mayapple was up but not yet blooming.

Bloodroot done blooming.

Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Close up of the green flower of the Blue Cohosh plant.

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) Fumitory Family. Each flower is about 3/4 " long and has the form of a pair of pants upside down on a clothesline.

Dutchman's Breeches

Squirrel Corn (Dicentra Canadensis) Fumitory Family. Squirrel Corn flowers are heart shaped.

Here I lifted my head up from the flowers and took a look around the woods. It's a nice little woods, they are planning on making a paved trail, some paths were being worked on.

Bug

This I think is a fungus called Scarlet Cup.

We also saw Cut-leaved Toothwort blooming for the first time this year, lots of first here in Van Zoeren Woods.

We visited Van Zoeren Woods for about three hours then went down to Allegan County to Happy Boots Corner. Oh the Marsh Marigold, beautiful.

Marsh Marigold like a burst of sunshine.

More Marsh Marigold

Marsh Marigold is usually one of the early bloomers and they are so pretty. Then we found a flower blooming that again surprised us, Golden Ragwort (Senecio aureus) Aster Family.

Golden Ragwort blooming

Golden Ragwort buds The first year we came across this plant we couldn't figure it out because we would see these purplish buds, but out comes a golden flower!