A spectacular sunset accompanied by the primordial symphony of Sandhill Cranes settling in for the night was the crowning and most memorable moment of my spring-embracing adventure last Friday evening. That “wilder side” adventure however started four hours earlier in the Goose Meadow parking lot of the 5,900 acre Highland State Recreation Area in White Lake Township.
Flashback four hours. Continue reading
They are wild and free. They choose where to grow. They need no care from us, just a bit of respect to survive. Some are native species, others invasive or naturalized, but the wildflowers of our July roadsides share common traits. They thrive in disturbed soils and open areas and add colorful beauty to the road’s edge. They are the vanguard forces of nature trying to make things right!
Butterfly Weed: The brilliant orange blossom of Butterfly Weed is unmistakable for appreciative humans, and nectar sipping butterflies. It’s next to impossible to hike in an uncut meadow or prairie without encountering the most stunning member of the milkweed family. The meadows and roadside of Highland State Recreation Area, and the roadside edge of Independence Oaks County Park-North are just two locations where they are now at peak bloom.
