Fall Color at Ludington State Park

2011 10 24  It turned into a beautiful sunny day after a night of late October thunderstorms.  Temps in the mid 50's, blue sky.  Marie and I went to one of my most favorite trails, Island Trail with Lost Lake Trail at Ludington State Park just north of Ludington, Michigan.

We checked out some interesting rocks under the shallow waters of Hamlin Lake (this man made lake originated during the logging era when lumbermen dammed the Big Sable River to make an enormous holding pond for trees felled upstream).

                                   Maybe a Pike?

While on Bing maps online I saw one large interdunal wetland near the trail we would be walking on.  We ended up taking a side trip to find it. 

It was big, how big, well more like a small lake.  There were cattails, and lily pads, this place always has water, it doesn't dry up.  And I found Gerardia blooming, lots of it!  This was a very special place, quiet and remote.

On our way out of the park we just had to stop and check out some more wet areas. 

These wet areas dry up, and we found there wasn't much water here but lots of mud.  As soon as I started looking around I found just one Kalm's (Brook) Lobelia blooming! 

Just one flower.

We moved on to a place where last summer we had seen several Bladderwort. 
Remember the Horned Bladderwort from July 2010?

This is the land of Horned Bladderwort.

I was just saying to Marie, we were walking on future bladderwort when I looked down and found the Last of the Summer's -  Horned Bladderwort!! 

            There was just the one. 

What a great day!

Cabin - Up North

Early in September Mike and I were able to get up to the cabin in Michigan's Manistee County for a couple of days.  We left on a Thursday after work and stopped for dinner on the way.  So it was getting dark as we drove, and the clouds and wind started to build.

The sun was low and the light from it hit the clouds.  Then a band of very dark clouds moved in.  See at the top of this next photo the dark band.  It rained that night.  Record rain for the area. Twenty miles away - 6.5 inches of rain in 12 hours was reported!  And there was wind, some straight line winds in the area.

It rained into the morning, but around noon it started to clear up.  We planned to hike the Manistee River trail, so we got ready and hoped we could get to the main road.  We did make it to the main road but had to stop several times to clear branches from the seasonal road.
We tried to start our walk from Red Bridge along Coates Highway.  A half mile from the bridge an officer was parked in the middle of the road and told us there were trees and power lines down near the bridge.  So off we go to find a different starting point.  We decided to drive up No. 1 Road to the Hodenpyl Dam.  Soon we came across a pine tree down across the road. It looked like a dead tree, probably not heavy, we both jumped out to move it.  We gave the tree a good pull but it wasn't budging - not even an inch.
So back in the car and we made our way to the dam on another road.  We parked near the Hodenpyl Dam and started down the trail.  The sun was out but it was also raining.  We saw more trees down too.

                                        Hodenpyl Dam

                                        Trees down along the trail

This is suppose to be the trail not a stream.  Where are my boots when I need them!
Then Mike made an exciting discovery.  White gentian.  Bottle Gentian.  And a bumble bee was working to get inside the flower.

            Bee half way in...

    Now the bumble bee is all the way inside the flower!

 It isn't long before you come to the pedestrian bridge when you head south on this trail from the dam.  And it isn't long before you are up high looking down at the Manistee River.

Each time there was a low, flat area near the river, we would go and check it out for wildflowers.  Here are a few that we found.

              Nodding Ladies' Tresses  Spiranthes cernua  Orchid family
This native perennial orchid is usually 4-12" tall.  While rather small in size, the bright white spike of flowers provides a striking contrast with the background vegetation and is fairly easy to spot. This one is just starting to open.

                    Bottle Gentian Gentiana andrewsii Gentian family
This native perennial plant is 1-2' tall.  The blooming period can occur from late summer to early fall, and usually lasts about a month. There is no noticeable floral scent.  Bumblebees are the primary pollinators of the flowers, as they are one of the few insects that can force their way past the closed corolla. Bottle Gentian is a beautiful plant with a striking appearance. The adorable flowers are often deep violet, although other shades also occur, even in the same cluster of flowers.

            Grass of Parnassus Parnassia glauca  Saxifrage Family
This one was a little roughed up, still a very pretty flower.

 We walked to the waterfall.  Then up through the pines back to the car.

It is difficult to get a good picture of the waterfall.  The edge is unstable so I wasn't getting any closer.  At the top of the picture you can see the footbridge.  
On Saturday we headed for home, that way we still have Sunday at home and makes the weekend seem longer.  We stopped at Ludington State Park in Mason County.  We did the same walk that I was on last month, around on the islands.  Since it was a Saturday and beautiful weather, the park was packed.  It was still an enjoyable walk. 

                       Hamlin Lake at Ludington State Park

                           From the trail at Ludington State Park.  
We went south after Ludington, and made a quick stop at Gale's Pond in Oceana County.  

                           Gale's Pond

                                Barn along the way.
On home we go, enjoying the blue sky, no more rain.

August 2014 Adventures in Ottawa County, Michigan

August 2014 was a time for wildflowering, hiking, kayaking, dune rides, and more concerts in the park.  Also a visit from our oldest son, and Mike's three sisters.
Later in the month we got to see this beauty, Virginia Meadow Beauty!  But first the month started with a day trip to Ludington State Park.

We picked up Marie to go for a hike at Ludington State Park in Mason County, Michigan.  We usually walk the Island trail and the Lost Lake trail, and that is what we did this time, with a few side trips.
Ludington State Park is situated between Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake.  The trail runs through some islands along Hamlin Lake.

The red line shows where we walked, an easy 2 mile walk.  Of course we saw many amazing plants.

Kayaking another day, starting at East Grand River Park in Grand Haven.  We paddled west under the U.S. 31 highway, under the railroad bridge, under 3rd Street bridge.  Continuing west along Linear Park, around the power plant, then east under the railroad bridge, under the U.S. 31 drawbridge, and back to the park.

That's Benjamin, my grandson, looking up at the cars crossing the drawbridge.  

And Benjamin on an island! 
This year for Benjamin's birthday I got him a fishing pole and tackle box, we have gone fishing several times.  

Then up to the Silver Lake Dunes for an afternoon of "flying" over the dunes in a jeep, such fun.  Just kidding - sorry but I didn't think it was fun.
Vivienne didn't enjoy the jeep ride much either so we spent time finding lots of treasures in the woods.

 
I don't spend much time at the beach and pier in Grand Haven, but with out-of-towners that's the thing to do.  So a walk on the pier and sunset on Lake Michigan.

One August day my daughter, Betsy and I decided to take the kayaks out on our own.  We loaded up the boats in the trailer and towed them to East Grand River Park.  I really enjoyed this paddle, very relaxing.  We paddled about 7 miles round trip!  We even went under the Gidley Bridge, somewhat creepy. 

 This is a shot of going under Gidley Bridge.

After paddling that day Mike and I took a hike, not a walk, at Connor Bayou, an Ottawa County Park on the Grand River.  I say a hike because we walked all the trails, way out on the loop along the river and all the way back thorough the woods to the entrance where we parked.

 At Connor Bayou there is a log house that is available to rent.

 Sun setting along the Grand River.

 Below is a map of Connor Bayou Park.  Looking at the map I guess we walked about 2 1/2 miles but it was getting dark and I had paddled for hours in the afternoon so maybe that is why it seemed like a hike?

Later in August, Marie and I went to a place in Ottawa County and saw some amazing plants.  This place is especially fun because it has many small ponds.  Some of the ponds were dug out for sand, some are from high ground water levels.  We had so much fun here we came back the next week to explore a few more ponds.

 We named the ponds, this one is Peninsula Pond.  We came to see Virginia Meadow Beauty and we saw hundreds of these plants.

                    Virginia Meadow Beauty Rhexia virginica 

The plants were at all stages of flowering, hundreds had perfect blossoms.  Below is a shot of a large group of Meadow Beauty.

Virginia Meadow Beauty has a distinctive urn shaped fruit that Thoreau once compared to a tiny cream pitcher.
We also found a plant in the Gentian Family that we had never seen before called Bartonia. 

 One common name Yellow Screwstem, Bartonia virginica.
There is also a Bartonia paniculata but that is not as common in our area as the first Bartonia.  

    Nodding Ladies' Tresses were blooming, this is an orchid.

At one point we were walking along the trail and Marie was leading.  She saw a snake, a Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxi), on the trail near her feet.  The Blue Racer took off to our right and climbed out on a branch of a pine tree about 5 feet off the ground!  It was a big snake probably 4 to 5 feet long.  Here are a few shots of it in the tree.

 Blue Racer  It's head is to the right and its tail goes off to the left.

 Blue Racer  Now the head is on the left and tail looped through the branches.

 We also saw this thing!  I researched it online and came up with Oak Hedgehog Gall, what colors.

                         
 In late August at Bass River Recreation Area, we saw a field of Cardinal Flower.

I guess that was most of August 2014.  I'm sure I forgot something but who will know, right?  I'm trying to get current with the blog because that is more interesting I think than old news.  I mostly do this blog to keep track of my adventures and I use my camera to record these fun times.  So sorry if I missed something, now onto September.