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Michigan

Green frog
Green frog
©Dave Westover
Event: Amphibian Courting
Where: Jonathan Woods Preserve, Nan Weston Preserve at Sharon Hollow
When: March and April
Spring is mating season for a variety of Great Lakes native amphibians. In the evening, you can hear a chorus of wood frogs, green frogs, American toads, spring peepers and others throughout Michigan wetlands. These also are breeding grounds for a variety of salamanders, including the blue-spotted and four-toed slamanders. Completing a longstanding partnership with the Seven Ponds Nature Center, the Michigan Chapter formally transferred its Jonathon Woods Preserve to Seven Ponds in May 2003.

Open to the public.
Columbine
Columbine
©Wilfred ""Bill"" Rowe
Event: Spring Ephemerals
Where: Nan Weston Preserve at Sharon Hollow
When: April and May
Trillium, wild geranium, mayapple, columbine, blood root, Dutchman's britches, wild ginger, rue anemone and many other native wildflowers bloom in the late spring.

Open to the public.
Sparrow (song bird)
Sparrow (song bird)
©Charlie Ott
Event: Birds Migrating
Where: Northern Lake Huron Shoreline
When: May, August and September
A spectacular migratory bird movement of both raptors and songbirds occurs along rocky and wonderful Great Lakes shoreline. Songbirds are spectacular in May and August, raptors in September.

Open to the public.
Shorebirds
Shorebirds
©Tina McCoy
Event: Birds Migrating
Where: Erie Marsh Preserve
When: May
Waterfowl, warblers, shorebirds and many more migrants use this southeast Michigan marsh as a stopover on their way to northern breeding grounds and back to their Latin American and Caribbean winter homes.

Open to the public.
Blue flag Iris
Blue flag Iris
©Janet Haas
Event: Rare Dwarf Lake Iris Blooming
Where: Grass Bay, Carl A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve at Dudley Bay
When: May and June
The rare dwarf lake iris, a beatiful purple gem just three inches tall, grows almost exclusively along the northern Lake Huron and Lake Michigan shorelines.

Field trips and special arrangements provide members and media access to these preserves.
Wildflowers (bergamot, ironweed, false sunflower)
Wildflowers (bergamot, ironweed, false sunflower)
©Frank Oberle
Event: Wildflowers Blooming
Where: Bakertown Fen Preserve
When: June and July
Native prairie wildflowers, such as bergamot, black-eyed susan, blazing star, lupine, Michigan lily, woodland sunflower, and gray-headed coneflower, bloom each summer at this prairie remnant.

Field trips and special arrangements provide members and media access to this preserve.
Goldenrod
Goldenrod
©Harvey Payne
Event: Houghton's Goldenrod blooming
Where: Grass Bay Preserve and Marquette Island Preserve
When: September
The rare Houghton's goldenrod blooms only on the Great Lakes shoreline.

Field trips and special arrangements provide members and media access to these preserves.
Aspen leaves
Aspen leaves
©Alan D. St. John
Event: Leaves Peaking
Where: McMahon Lake Preserve
When: September and October
Sugar maple, beech, hemlock, aspen and old growth white pine show their beautiful fall colors.

Field trips and special arrangements provide members and media access to this preserve.

For additional information on a particular location, click on the name of the preserve associated with the event or visit the Michigan site.