May 2014 in Michigan

Some places I visited in May 2014.

 
2014 05 04 Riverside Park Ottawa County 

 

    Grand River

    Bloodroot   
For more of Riverside in May see 
 http://plantsamazeme.blogspot.com/2014/05/riverside-park-and-aman-park-in-ottawa.html

2014 05 05 Warren Woods, Kesling Nature Preserve - Berrien County see
 http://plantsamazeme.blogspot.com/2014/05/warren-woods-kesling-nature-preserve.html

2014 05 08 Long Lake - Kent County, Patterson Park - Muskegon County see
 http://plantsamazeme.blogspot.com/2014/05/kent-county-michigan-park.html

2014 05 12 Dowagiac Woods - Cass County, Mud Lake Bog and  Trillium Ravine - Berrien County

 

                     Blue-Eyed Mary Collinsia verna Figwort family 

 

 Bent Trillium Trillium flexipes

   Mud Lake

Trillium Ravine

 Many trillium at Trillium Ravine!

 Spider with worm giving a high five.
 
2014 05 19 Barry County Places, including Maher Audubon Sanctuary

2014 05 20 Aman Park Ottawa County

 Virginia Bluebells

 Redbud

 Sand Creek at Aman Park

2014 05 27 Bass River Rec. Area, Ottawa County

 

 Johnny Jump-Up Viola tricolor Violet family

 Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis Buttercup family 

                     Yellow Iris  Iris pseudacorus  Iris family

 Super secret pond at Bass River Rec. Area, there are several super secret ponds here. 

 Around home we had a bumper crop of Squawroot Conopholis americana Broomrape Family - An underground plant without leaves or chlorophyll!  

 

 That was as much as I remember about May.  I did take a kayak trip down the Pigeon River but didn't have my camera with so no photos.  Since June is almost over, maybe I will compile the month of June into a post.  
Marie and I found two wild orchids at Bass River Rec. Area this week but I guess you will just have to wait until next month to hear all about it!  Now you are all on the edge of your seats. Right?

Six Parks in Twelve Hours in Michigan - Part 2

2013 04 29  After Riverfront Park, McCoy's Creek Park, Bakertown Fen Perserve, and Mud Lake Bog we drove from Buchanan east just over the highway.  Along the way we had to drive around a huge Snapping Turtle in the road.

Just a few miles and now we are at Trillium Ravine Plant Preserve.  Even before we got out of the car we could see wildflowers! 

Here is some of what we saw...

 All that white and green are trillium!

Trillium grandiflorum - White Trillium or Large-flowered Trillium

There are also Trillium sessile, common name Toadshade Trillium

Those are not to be confused with Trillium recurvatum, common name Prairie Trillium. 

Which I do confuse!  I really just like to have fun looking at the wildflowers and figuring all this out sometimes isn't so fun for me. 

The biggest difference between the two, from what I understand is how the leaves are attached to the stem.  Trillium sessile has leaves that are sessile, attached to the stem without a stalk, whereas Trillium recurvatum leaves are strongly petioled, attached to the stem with a stalk.  Just let it go...

Another plant that is easier to tell apart when they are right next to each other are Dutchman's Breeches (on the left) and Squirrel Corn (on the right).

 We saw so many wildflowers... Trout Lily and Spring Beauty.

Blue Cohosh

Unique types of fungi...and we were having a great time rediscovering all of our old friends. 
Even after all this fun we still decided to go to Dowagiac Woods! 

This photo was taken in 2008, this sign is gone now.
We were at Dowagiac Woods just two weeks ago.  Now the hepatica were waning, but the Spring Beauty were out in full force. 
Here is Dowagiac Woods...

                          Wild Ginger

                                              Dwarf Ginseng

There were many more Marsh Marigold.

I was hoping the Blue-eyed Mary would be blooming, and it was!

Many more insects were here compared to two weeks earlier.  Nice to see all the bees.

We were at Dowagiac Woods for almost two hours, and we were going fast, for us.  So we phoned our families to let them know we would be late.  Oh, and we did see hepatica.

 Sharp-lobed Hepatica