From the Woods

I got myself out to my section of trail today to do some general cleanup. What I did was very easy- flicked sticks off the trail and clipped some encroaching branches. No problems to report. I have a few pix of interesting things from today, and a couple from the other day.

This is the bottomland hardwood swamp along one section of my trail. I know I've showed it to you when there is lots of water, and also when it is dry. But here it is in between all full of mud. The plants love it.

This small paper wasp nest must have come down in the wind we've had the last couple of days. Oddly, when I flipped it over, it's completely hollow- no hexagonal cells. I don't know if they somehow broke out, or the wasps never finished the nest.

This is wintergreen, Gaulthera procumbens, in bloom. Usually you see the red berries which last for months, so finding the flowers is nifty.

I found yet another blue/purple mushroom. I'm NOT a mushroom expert, but I think with the white gills and smooth stalk in the second picture that is has to be Purple Brittlegill, Russula atropurpurea.

Finally, this is just fun. Every once in a while a plant will produce variegated leaves. This is an oak sapling. I love it! Once, before digital photos, I found a variegated poison ivy. I wonder if I have a picture of it somewhere.

The trail work took all afternoon. I got some editing done in the morning, but didn't get out of bed fast again, so other things slipped through the cracks.

My dad would have been 122 today, and he died 50 years ago yesterday. I can hardly believe that.

Miles walked in 2026: 238.2
Hike 100 Challenge: 86 miles
Onekama Challenge: 50 miles.

North Country Trail, Lake and Mason Counties, Freesoil TH to Koenig Rd and back. 6 miles.

See Beauty in the Details

Miscellaneous Blossoms

A few things have been blooming, but most not spectactularly. Still, they make me happy.

The first one is in this post only because it wasn't blooming the other day. This is the other of my day lilies, called 'Young Love.' I'm hoping there will be a day when the all bloom together and I can get a pic of that.

Here is the Sedum 'Atlantis' that I like so much. But this is the first time it's bloomed for me.

Also just starting to bloom is this rosette of the Sempervivum 'Black.' They all look pretty much alike when they flower.

Betsy gave me a small Dahlia. I missed getting a picture of the first flower, but it has another. I have no idea which Dahlia it is. And you have to take them in for the winter. We'll see if that happens.

Here's the best of all although it didn't succeed at looking very good. That white oriental poppy I bought was determined to flower, even if late. It made a bud, but then it was trying to open those days when the air quality was so terrible. I don't know if that affected it, but this was the best it managed. Still- I can't wait till next year!

Then it quickly dropped all the petals. But I think it's interesting that the seed pod is not black like the other colors, but reddish.

I managed to get a lot done today- editing, watered the gardens, mowing, some gardening, a long phone call, and then I walked 4.5 miles on roads. OF course, since I watered there was a pop-up rainstorm! Quite windy right now.

Miles walked in 2026: 232.2
Miles for Onekama Challenge: 44

See Let the Day Lilies Begin

Roadside Blooms

Needing to keep walking to get those miles in for the Onekama Challenge. Going to be hard to do, but the weather/ air was better today, so I got in a walk. Just one of my roadwalk loops, but I did it.

Here are some plants of note along the way.

This was the first time I've noticed Elecampane, Inula helenium on this route. It's not native, and it's more of a prairie plant. But here it is! I'm going to report this to the MI Herbarium.

A nice native shrub to find. I see a little of this each year. This is Meadowsweet, Spiraea alba. It likes to have damp feet, and this is in a ditch.

Always a fun find is Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata. Definitely a wetland plant although some people are putting them in gardens with some success if they water often. This one isn't very full, but you can see the color.

Here's one that I'm not happy to see. It's False Chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris. This is becoming increasingly spread from east to west in the US and it's horribly invasive and everywhere. Not happy to see so much of it here.

Not a flower, but I caught a great blue heron flying over.

Worked my little job in the morning. Did some volunteer stuff. Walked, Zoom meeting.

Miles walked in 2026: 227.7
Miles for Onekama Challenge: 39.5

See Familiar Places

Mason County Garden Club Tour 2026

It's been several years since I was actually home when the Mason County Garden Club Tour was being held, but this year it all worked out. The stops this year were all in Ludington.

This is a special year for the Club-- it is their 100th Anniversary, and also the 24th Garden Tour they have hosted. Because of this, 4 of the 7 sites were at public locations the club maintains, and one of those had a craft you could make. I may talk about those another day, but I want to focus on the 3 private gardens.

Here is a nice walkway corner. It's edged with the Donkeytail Euphorbia and filled with a petunia planter.

This garden had mostly traditional plantings and groupings, but it was nicely done. The owner mentioned the gardners' war with the urban deer (her fencing was removed for this tour), and ironically enough, I saw a doe and two fawns just around the corner, cruisin' for a snack.

This was my favorite, and it turns out I know the owner. This is just one view of the garden... it's filled with quirky garden art, different levels, and little nooks tucked between buildings and hedges and stuffed with plants.

Now I'll show you a few of my favorite plants, or pairings of plants.

This is another Heuchera- 'Changeling'- that I like a lot.

And here is a beautiful coleus planter. Coleus is a lot like the heuchera- they come in an amazing variety of colors and shapes. But they are annuals. (You may recall I tried to keep some over the winter- I had a little success which you'll see one day soon)

This is a really nice pairing of a coleus and a heuchera. Of course no one seems to keep track of the names of any of these cultivars, which you know I want to know.

Here is, perhaps, my favorite of the day. This is a begonia from a patented series called Space Age, possibly 'Black Hole.' Of course, I can't start playing with begonias unless I magically sprout a greenhouse, or at least more space with good light, to keep them over the winter.

We did not know where the gardens were located until we bought the tickets at the start. I had thought I'd walk as much of the route as I could since the day was not blistering hot. And after seeing the map, I decided I could walk the whole thing. 4.6 miles.

Did a little editing and some cleaning up at home.

Miles walked in 2026: 223.7
Miles walked for the Onekama Challenge: 35.5

See Mason County Garden Club Tour 2018

Troutarama and the NCT

Our Spirit of the Woods Chapter of the NCTA has a new position called Communications Coordinator, and one of the duties of that person is to work on outreach opportunities to tell more people about the trail. Taylor's first big effort was to get us in the Troutarama Parade in Baldwin. She is in the yellow shirt.

The parade was a decent length and a lot of people turn out for this. (It's a four-day event with all kinds of activities)

We handed out candy and flyers about the trail.

I've shown you this once before, but this is the statue commemorating that Baldwin was where brown trout were first released in the United States in 1884.

The statue now has a very nice garden with a couple of benches around it.

And coneflowers

The parade got me some walking, and then I had to go right past the trail on the way home, so I stopped and got in some more miles.

It was a little cooler and a little less smokey. There is a lovely breeze that made life tolerable. Still, not much else happened. I didn't sleep well last night and had trouble getting up this morning.

Miles walked in 2026: 219.1
Hike 100 Challenge: 80
Onekama Challenge: 31

In Baldwin for the parade and to get to my car- 2 miles. NCT, Lake County, MI, Timber Creek to Wingleton Rd and back 4 miles.

See The Rest of Yesterday