Signs of Spring at Hudsonville Nature Center!

Though the temperature was only a whopping 25 degrees outside this past Sunday, the sun was shinning at Hudsonville Nature Center's trail head as we all huddled together and listened intensely to Master Naturalist Craig Elston's introduction speech about the trails and the greater property. Our guided nature hike through Hudsonville Nature Center's trails was originally going to be centered around "Signs of Spring," but that plan had to be slightly adjusted for the few feet of snow still covering the ground and entombing many of the plants and flowers that were supposed to be springing up. You just never know with Michigan weather, do you? One minute you're expecting wildflower shoots, the next you're despairing about how many feet of snow still refuse to melt.

What a wonderful adventure despite the snow and cold, though! Craig led us through some of Hudsonville Nature Center's trails and educated us on the importance of some of the property's plants, such as Staghorn Sumac. Kim also taught us about how to identify different kinds of trees by their unique bark textures and appearances. A Muscle Tree, for example, is easily identifiable once you take note of how it's bark really does seem to mimic the texture of a human muscle. That was definitely neat to see! We saw a couple of Downy Woodpeckers, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, some Chickadees, a couple of Robins, a Red-tailed Hawk and some Common Crows on our stroll. We also learned about the intensity of poison ivy and how it can stay in a person's clothes for up to 5 years if not washed out in the washing machine - yikes!

We're extremely grateful for Craig sharing his time and expertise with us. There were many beautiful things to appreciate amidst the snow. Most excitingly, there were a few subtle signs that hinted that spring is indeed on its way. Hooray!

Craig and David during one of Craig's explanations of the property's important plants

See the hole just above where Craig's ring finger is? That's a hole drilled by an Emerald Ash Borer - we learned all about these nasty beetles and their extensive assault on our state's Ash trees

Pausing to take in some of the area's property's important features. What pretty red Staghorn Sumac in the back!