Sunday, August 21, 2011

A Walk in the Park


Yesterday I was in the vicinity of Millenium Park, a recent reclamation project that has been developed into the largest park of its kind in West Michigan, so I thought I'd check it out. It had rained earlier, but was brightening and warm. I was surprised to find only a few souls out enjoying the park. There were two hikers on the trails but I did not cross paths with them. I felt like I had the whole beautiful space to myself! How fortunate we are here in Michigan to have such a nice plot of reclaimed wetlands available, abundant with native plants and birds. I was reminded of my lack of knowledge about wildflowers. I did recognize some of the plantings in the area of the shelters and playground, like this perovskia, or Russian sage, which was attracting bees:


With the many grasses pluming and the vegetation summer-rain lush, it was a good time to visit, although I can imagine that it will be transformed in a few months as we fall into autumn.

Click on these photos to enlarge--and enjoy some of nature's finest:

Leaves trending fall--viburnum?
Glistening berries
Young dawn redwood

One more--I was impressed with the mowed  grass--look how thick and green it is--easily able to stand up to foot traffic:

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