Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area and more

2010 11 08 Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, it was a wonderful day to explore these rolling dunes just north of Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. The tract of land stretches up to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River where it empties into Lake Michigan.

This is what you get at Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, 171 acres, 3,650 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline, open dunes, interdunal wetlands, natural jack pine forest, hardwood-pine dune forest, Great Lakes marsh, 4,452 feet on an oxbow lake, the south pier of the Kalamazoo River mouth, and 1,650 feet of Kalamazoo River shoreline.

The temperature was in the 60's, warm for November in Michigan.  We didn't have a map of this place, so we wandered in the direction of our whims.  There are well marked trails through the dunes and they take you over to the lagoon.  We spent 3 hours wandering here.  There is much history with this piece of land...like most places.

                            Remnants of the old Pier

    On the trail at SHNA



After this we tried to walk at Tallmadge Woods, which is property adjacent to SHNA, but we were met with a Private Property sign.  We stopped in a few more places, one being Schultz Park which you can see from the Gerald R. Ford Freeway (I-196)  as you travel over the Kalamazoo River.  And we even saw a few wildflowers blooming.

       

Sisters complete (a variation of) a triathlon!

2011 October 18  My sweet sister, Sugar, and I completed our first "triathlon"!  We began at Rosy Mound Natural Area (13925 Lakeshore Drive Grand Haven, MI 49417) dragging our bikes out of our cars all by ourselves, already some exertion! 

We rode south on the bike path along Lakeshore Avenue all the way to Palomita Reserve (10630 Lakeshore Dr, West Olive, Michigan 49460) owned by The Land Conservancy of West Michigan,  about a 10 mile (round trip) bike ride.
Returning to Rosy Mound Natural Area we stowed our bicycles into the cars, then off we went on the second part of the triathlon, taking over 1000 (stair)  steps to Lake Michigan and back.  

 While at Lake Michigan we completed the third portion of this trek by swimming (our finger tips) in the lake!

Fun time!
 We saw lots of Hepatica leaves along the trail.

Rosy Mound is a classic Great Lakes dune system including high wooded dunes, foredunes, beach and a dune blowout. A 0.7 mile (one way) hiking trail from the parking area to the Lake Michigan shoreline includes 1,000 feet of stairs up and down the dunes and scenic views of woods, the dune blowout and Lake Michigan. A unique shade canopy, dune boardwalk trail and pit toilets are located near the beach. Improvements to this 164 acre park were completed in April 2004.  No pets.

We are "triathlon-ers".  Ha Ha!

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!

Lake Breeze and More

July 18 2011
The Land Conservancy of West Michigan , check out their website at  http://naturenearby.org 
Send them money if you have extra money just laying around.  Many of their preserves are open to the public for hiking, exploring, wildflowering. 
Here is a informative PDF map.
 http://naturenearby.org/Data/Resources/File/Brochures/LCWM%20Service%20Area%20Map%202011.pdf   


Of the twelve preserves listed on the Pdf, Marie and I had visited 11.  We hadn't been to Lake Breeze so this is where we decided to go next.  Lake Breeze Preserve is in Oceana County between Pentwater and Silver Lake State Park.

We didn't find a trail here so we just dove into the woods near the sign.  The woods were quite open as far as ground growth so it was easy going.  There were many fallen White Birch trees, we also saw Witch Hazel, deer, Oak, Maple, and Cherry trees, Sassafras, Bracken, Grapevine,  fungi, blooming Wintergreen.  Indian Pipe was up, Licorice was flowering, we heard frogs and crows.

Thirty-five acres are OK for wandering on, then there are 65 acres of conservation easement which you are NOT allowed to walk on.  This was a bit of a problem since we had no map of the preserve or easement, so it was hard to know if we were legal.  We did come to one "conservation easement - No Trespassing" sign but it was laying on the ground in pretty rough shape.  We also saw a few blue paint marks on some trees but they didn't seem to be in any order.
 
It was a very hot and humid day for walking through the woods, and we did come across one orchid in a low wet wooded place.

 I know, not the best pictures and it isn't actually blooming, or is it?
We spent about 90 minutes at Lake Breeze.

Next stop Cedar Point Park, an Oceana County park, just a few miles south of Lake Breeze.  Cedar Point is a great place for spending the afternoon at the beach. The 3 acre park provides swimming, a picnic area and restrooms. Wooden steps lead visitors from the high bank bluff above, through the forest canopy, to the beach below.

Marie knew of a survey marker here and we found it at the end of the parking lot.

The stairs to the beach were inviting so down we go to the beach.

               Path to Lake Michigan at Cedar Point Park

                          Lake Michigan Shoreline

  We found Herb Robert,
  (no he wasn't lost! I can hear it already)

                         Helleborine 
(a very common and beautiful orchid that we almost ignore for some reason?),

                                      Epipactis

Bladder Campion, St. Johnswort, Prunella vulgaris (Heal All), Beach Pea, Bittersweet Nightshade, Straight-line Rush,

                               Purple Loosestrife,

Silverweed, Spotted Knapweed, Wild Peppergrass, Watercress, English Plantain, Sessile-leaved Water Horehound, Yarrow, Boneset, Bouncing Bet, two Great Blue Herons, frogs, dragonflies and in the photo below, Centaury

                                Centaurium

Horsetail

We saw so much here compared to the woods of

Lake Breeze, but the woods are

enticing too.  Ok, after the beach and remember it is hot and humid, we sat in the van with A/C and had a bite to eat.  Along on a nearby tree came a Pileated Woodpecker!

This is a long blog and I'm only half way through the day.  Our next stop was a Golden Township Park, Round Lake Park.

Somewhat of a rough, steep two-track into the park.  The park is at Round Lake.  There is a gravel boat launch and a mowed space.

                     Round Lake at Golden Twp. Park
Again along the water and through the mowed area we found plenty of wildflowers blooming.

                                  Smartweed

                                 Heal All
We spent 40 minutes checking this park out.  Moving on, next to a nature preserve that we saw in the Michigan County Atlas by David M. Brown.  I couldn't find info about it online so we weren't sure what we'd find.  We are south of the Silver Lake Dunes area back on some one-lane dirt roads, a confusing maze, but eventually we found Memorial Nature Preserve. 
Well it didn't say "No Trespassing" but the preserve is the effort of families who live in the area.  So were we suppose to be here, I don't know.  We did enjoy it.

There were marked trails with maps, and trees were identified with signs, nicely done.

After more than an hour here, I was getting a bit worn out, well it was hot and humid still.  And can you believe we went and explored all these different places in one day!  And we aren't done, we also stopped in at a favorite site, Park Road end beach.  Check out the post from 2010, August, Lake Michigan Beach Fun, http://plantsamazeme.blogspot.com/2010/08/lake-michigan-beach-fun.html

Whiskey Creek meets Lake Michigan at the end of Park Road.
We found Sea Rocket blooming.  This is the first time I have seen this plant, it has a thick, fleshiness to its stem and leaves not at all a wimpy plant.

It was a bit past prime, but a fun find. 



We felt Lake Michigan and the water was remarkably cool on this very hot day.