Hike the Tittabawassee Floodplain Preserve Walk!
Monday August 11th, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Opened and dedicated in June 2024, this new nature preserve hugs the east side of the Tittabawassee River between Bailey Bridge Road in Midland County and Hayes Park near Freeland in Saginaw County.
As part of an ongoing process to restore biodiversity in previously-farmed areas, invasive species were removed and native plants were added over the past two years. A paved 3.2 mile hiking and biking trail winds through the preserve with additional mowed trails for recreation. Join Jeanne Henderson to observe the variety of plants in the meadows and potential wildlife, as we walk 1 to 1 1/2 miles on paved and grassy trails.
Meet at the Bailey Bridge Road parking lot, which is about 1 mile south of the Gordonville/ Salzburg – Saginaw Road intersection (off Saginaw Road). Parking is limited so please carpool. A port-a-potty is there. Wear closed-toe shoes and a hat; bring water and insect repellent. Camera or binoculars are optional. For more information call 989-225-0059. The public is welcome to attend.
In anticipation of the September 2025 Program
In anticipation of the September program, we will need folks to either register or contact Corrine Bloomfield at the Chippewa Nature Center. The September program is going to be a Forest Therapy session at Elysium Heritage Preserve in Pinconning on the 6
th of September. This is not our typical program and our guide Corrine will need a fairly accurate headcount to prepare for the program. There will be a sign up sheet at the August program but in the event you cannot attend, you can contact Corrine directly at
[email protected].
Don’t worry, there is room for everyone to attend!
Upcoming Plant Sales- Hoffman Farms Native Plants
August 2, 9-5 pm at Hoffman Farms, 6358 Mackinaw Rd., Saginaw
If your native plant garden still needs some additional plants, consider visiting Craig Shafer at Hoffman Farms. He has hundreds of plants, and dozens of species of native plants and shrubs grown from locally sourced seeds. Plants range in age from one to three years and are priced accordingly.
August 22 – 30, 10 am to 5 pm at Nature’s Niche, 2004 W. Wackerly St., Midland, MI 48640
Nature’s Niche will be hosting their final plant sale of the year. Species of plants, trees and shrubs can be found on their blog at https://nature-niche.com/blogs/news so you can make your list for the sale.
McLean Nature Preserve Pollinator Program, Sunday, August 3rd, 2:00 PM
Pollinators are a critical part of nature and we have developed habitat to encourage their presence. Large areas of summer wildflowers are currently at their peak of bloom attracting a variety of butterflies and other pollinators including our native bumblebees. Many different types of flowers can be seen including purple and yellow coneflowers, bee balm, prairie blazing star, Indian blanket, false sunflowers, and black-eyed Susans.
Join us for a guided walk on mowed trails to observe a number of areas converted from farm land to wildflowers. The hundreds of purple coneflowers currently in bloom give many opportunities for close-up views and photos of both flowers and butterflies. Our preserve is also registered as an official Monarch way-station and many butterflies are present in our wildflower areas.
This event is cosponsored by Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy and is free and open to the public. McLean Nature Preserve is located at 2199 N. Flajole Rd., Rhodes (about ¼ mile north of Erickson Rd.) in northwestern Bay County. For directions or further information call Jim or Shirley McLean at 989-631-3067 in Midland. On the day of the program we can be reached at 989-698-6239.
Viva la Pollination at Dow Garden, 10am – noon, August 8th
The Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter will be at the Viva la Pollination event at Dow Gardens from 10-12 on the 8th of August. Join us in celebrating the pollinators that are so vital to our ecosystem in this fair-style family-friendly event! Learn about different pollinators, explore honey variations, crafts, and stop by the insect petting zoo. Included with admission or purchase of an annual pass.
A tour of Sarah Galt’s Garden, August 5th, 4:00 pm
After enjoying our recent garden tours, Wild Ones member Sarah Galt is inviting us to tour her yard to see her progress in transforming a traditional suburban yard to a native plant habitat. Meet at 513 Stillmeadow Lane on Tuesday August 5th, rain or shine!
Weeding at the Wildflower Walkway at Chippewa Nature Center
Monday August 18th from 3:30-5:00 pm
The Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter shows our support of the Nature Center by helping to maintain some of their wildflower beds, usually the rain garden and wildflower walkway. If you can lend a hand, please contact Jeanne Henderson at
[email protected] or just show up with your tools in hand. You’ll have an opportunity to show your support of the nature center and have a chance to enjoy the blooming gardens close up and personal! This last trip in July, we were lucky enough to find Monarch butterfly caterpillars on the swamp milkweed! You never know what you might find even when weeding!
Chapter Membership
Tell your friends and neighbors about the Wild Ones and bring them to a meeting, most of which are open to the public. Youth are welcome when accompanied by an adult. New ideas about attracting and retaining members can be sent to Rachel LeClair (
[email protected]).
Renewing members: Becky Pontious and Kathy Meinschein. We appreciate your support!
So much going on!
The season is now moving on to what I like to call the yellow season. So many blooms and so much yellow! The tall tick seed, various coreopsis species, golden rod and false sunflower are making themselves known. There are others that are not yellow, such as culvers root and bee balm, but they are fading fast as the yellow blooms overtake them. You can also feel the change in the season, with the mornings starting later and evenings earlier. The light has started to shift and thoughts turn to autumn and even next season. Now is a good time to start seed collecting for next year’s plants. Many of the early summer bloomers have seed and seed pods ready to be picked. Just on Tuesday I was able to collect seeds from spiderwort, sand coreopsis and Canada anemone. Out at a friend’s garden, I saw that the columbine was ready to be picked as well. If you do collect seeds, be sure to leave them to dry thoroughly before storing them for use next year. So look around your garden and see what might be ready, and prepare for next year!
Yours in nature,
Susan Erhardt
President, Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter
[email protected]
