Today we took a wild flower nature walk in Royal Oak, MI a few blocks away from where I attended high school. Bloodroot was in full flower throughout the woods.
The
Royal Oak Nature Society has made Tenhave Woods a protected natural area. It was originally a wood lot owned by early settler. High fences (try) to keep out the deer that love the wildflowers, too.
A vernal pond has turtles and lots of liverwort and duckweed.
Our naturalist guide explained that Liverwort is spore bearing, not seed creating like Duckweed.
High winds have knocked down trees, opening the canopy and leaving the woods with less protection. So more trees are toppling. The guide has known some of these tress for fifty years. He pointed out American Elm, Butternut, and Tulip trees. He remembers when Chestnut still grew in these woods.
Our guide found this patch of Dutchman's Breeches years ago and altered the path to allow it to flourish.
The woods has two kinds of Trout Lily: one has a red repel and the other yellow.
The May Apple will flower in another week.
The Trillium, both red and white, are not yet in flower either.
Flower nestled in the roots of trees.
We went from ice and snow to 70 degrees in a few weeks. This is Michigan.
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