Sunday, May 5, I attended two separate Spring Wildflower Walks. Although the day was sunny and warmish, the ground is still saturated from all of the rain we've experienced. Not only were my shoes and pants very mud-spattered, I stepped straight into a hidden swale with five or six inches of water, so my socks and feet were soaked too. I didn't wear boots, in order to be stylish, but I paid the price!
First, I was at
Balduck Memorial Park, in Detroit. This walk was sponsored by
The Detroit Garden Center. There were about ten of us; nice and informal. Unfortunately, I lost my native plant guide, andso I do not remember the names to some of these.
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See the little serrations on the leaf edges?
I thought it was cool. |
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Our guide said that some plants have extra tannins in their spring leaves, causing them to be reddish.
Some critters don't like tannins, so this is a way for the plants to ward off being eaten up during this important growing time. |
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| Heck if I can remember this one, but it's cute! |
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| White sharp-lobed hepatica |
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| Jack-in-the-pulpit buds |
In the afternoon, I was in
Tenhave Woods, in Royal Oak. The
Royal Oak Nature Society was on hand to show about 50 people around. We saw:
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| A bank of trillium |
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| The expert didn't know if this was a Grey Tree Frog or a Cope's Grey Tree Frog. The only known difference between the two frogs, is their mating call, and this frog wasn't saying nuthin'! The expert released the frog onto the nearest tree... |
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...Can you see the frog on the oak tree?
Blends in extremely well, yes?
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| May Apple |
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| Jack-in-the-pulpit bloom |
And, as the tour was wrapping up, a man came along, wearing this t-shirt:
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| Cats drive us crazy first, THEN we consult them for therapy, amIright? |
He graciously allowed me to snap a photo, and I am again amazed at how my attempts at hanging out with Mother Nature seems to throw some feline action at me too! It's beginning to get weird!
