Olive Shores Ottawa County Park

2011 06 08 Olive Shores is a new 20 acre county park with 738 feet of Lake Michigan frontage located in Port Sheldon Township. Land acquisition for the park was completed in 2009. One of the parcels is the filming site for scenes from the movie Road to Perdition starring Tom Hanks.




This is another new park in Ottawa County.  Right now all that has been done to it is a sign, trail, and posts with a rope attached to help pull yourself up the steep Mt. Olive.  Soon I'm sure it will become a popular place to access the Lake Michigan beach.  It is peaceful now. 


Park "improvements" will include a 50 car parking lot, barrier free trails through the backdune forest, and a main trail with a stairway leading park visitors over a large dune known as Mt. Olive and to the beach on Lake Michigan. The design of all park facilities will emphasize preservation of the site’s unique natural features.  Other park improvements will include modern restrooms, interpretive signs, barrier free picnic sites, viewing areas on the dune top, and a boardwalk along the dune ridge providing scenic views of Lake Michigan. A separate pedestrian and bike access trail will provide access from Olive Shores Drive. 

                                Pull yourself up Mt. Olive

Lake Michigan from Olive Shores County Park

More Ottawa County Places

2011 06 06 Fillmore at the Bend, Grand River Ravines, Grand River Park. 

We started at Fillmore at the Bend.

In the field we saw...

Showy Goat's Beard

                                     Fistulous Goat's Beard



See the difference between the two Goat's Beard?  Showy, the involucral bracts are equal to the petal rays.  Fistulous Goat's Beard, the involucral bracts are longer than the petal rays.  I never paid much attention to this and just call them
Yellow Goat's Beard.                          

                                     Orange Hawkweed

                   Ox-eye Daisy

     

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Maybe a Northern Crescent?  I'm not sure although I did just get a new field guide, Butterflies of Michigan.

We wanted to check out the new Ottawa County property, Grand River Ravines.  There is no parking available for this place yet but it is just north of Fillmore at the Bend so we walked north. 

              We came to a farmed field, we headed a bit east to make sure we weren't trespassing.  As we walked along we came to many intersecting trails or small two-tracks, and several small bridges,  Hm, are we still on the Grand River Ravines property?  I hope so.

  We spotted this American Bald Eagle fishing the Grand River.  Now we are close to the river and there I spy beautiful For-Get-Me-Nots.

When I look at them again I found this insect on one of the plants!  I learned he is a Weevil!  Isn't he interesting?  I wonder if he is a "bad"  bug?

 

We started off south for Fillmore at the Bend and came to these stairs going up the hill. 

 We found this curious plant on the way back, what is it?  We got to the car and drove a few miles down the road to Grand River Park.  There was flooding on the trails.

We saw a Green Dragon.

Green Dragon from the top.

                                       Green Dragon Arum Family


We also visited the Paw Paw trees.  They were just getting done blooming.  This is the back of the flower.



Well again this Blogger is having issues!!!  It can be fun to blog if the site works correctly!  This one is not and I lost my followers?   Any body out there have any suggestions?  Maybe a different blog site?  Please send help.  We will end the day there and see if this will post.  Really any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

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?