visit to Maryland & Ohio

Last weekend I was in Columbia, MD, & walked in a riverside park where Jack-in-the Pulpit & Indian strawberries were blooming. Saw an immense Copperhead snake sunning itself on a rock in the middle of the water. I was safely on a bridge overlooking the river, I'm glad to say.

On the way home, stopped at Magee Marsh about halfway between Sandusky & Toledo, where I saw many Great Egrets, a Black & White warbler, a Palm warbler, dozens of Martins, Tree & Barn swallows, & Killdeer. The northern edge of Ohio along the southern coast of Lake Erie is beautiful--well worth the longer driving time off the toll road.

Wildflowers in Barry County

Last Saturday a friend and I went for a wonderful wildflower walk (pre-registered) at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute for Environment Education. It's near Hastings in Barry County (http://www.cedarcreekinstitute.org/). It was in an area of their property they call "Little Grand Canyon." The moniker might be a tch extreme, but the trail did wind down through a fairly pristine ravine, with a gentle creek flowing through. An Albion college botanist, who said the area reminded him of his Kentucky homeland, and an Institute staffer guided the walk. We saw close to 20 species of wildflowers! The botanist said yellow lady's slippers would also be out soon in the same area. The Institute has a number of walking trails, a gift shop with some unusal and reasonably priced items ranging from burl bowls carved by a retired surgeon and baskets from Ghana, to a handmade bird and butterfly houses. Pierce Cedar Creek hosts a monthly chef-prepared brunch and during the summer, provides workshops for little ones like "bat night." It's a bit of a drive, but its a great place, and several people on the hike live "down there" and work in GR.