Huron-Clinton Metroparks

October Adventures in Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment
Fungi growing on tree

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

October has been a golden month; a time for hiking, cider making, leaf peeping, and endless adventure within Oakland County and beyond. I will miss those days that were punctuated by earlier sunsets, later sunrises, and clear, star-studded night skies. Mother Nature teased us a few times with snowflakes, hail pellets, and strong wind gusts, but sunny days and temperatures that climbed into the seventies in this final week dominated the month before rains came near the end. That rain fueled a final emergence of fantastic forest fungi, including shelf fungus that grows on trees.  

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Stony Creek on the Dawn of Spring

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

“It is fortunate, perhaps, that no matter how intently one studies the hundreds of little dramas of the woods and meadows, one can never learn all the salient facts about any one of them.” –Aldo Leopold

Embracing the ebb and flow of our seasons is much like awaiting the return of a long absent friend that departed months earlier. We know the return will eventually occur, but never seem to know exactly when our friend will arrive back in town, especially if their name is spring. Spring’s arrival is fickle. Sometimes spring can sort of sneak into town unobserved—and then its warmth is here! However, one thing is certain: no matter where you wander in woods and meadows; those introductory words of Leopold are so very true. I am glad they are!

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